WorldWideScience

Sample records for learner centered curriculum

  1. Psychological Approaches to Learner Centered Curriculum in Kerala

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nath, Baiju K.; Sajitha, P. S.

    2010-01-01

    The major curricular innovations that have taken place in Kerala secondary education system in recent years is so revolutionary. This paper examines the basic psychological theories of the learner centered curriculum of school education in the state of Kerala. Initially the curriculum was based on the principles of behaviorism. The curriculum then…

  2. Learners, teachers and curriculum

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Karen Bjerg

    2008-01-01

    of virtual e-learning, interviews with teachers and 10 learner participants in a virtual classroom setting, and discourse analysis of curriculum developed for the particular e-learning course The research has taken place in the context of a study of e-learning and virtual teaching of Danish as a Second...... language for adults. The research results indicate that teachers seem to compensate by trying to create virtual communities of learning. Learners, however, experience disembedded relations. Conversely, curriculum development, on tends to ‘exploit’ the conditions of disembedding social relations in e-learning......, locationally distant”. The aim of the paper is to analyse and discuss how different positions in e-learning settings result in different answers to modernity. These settings can be applied to either teacher, learner or curriculum positions. The research was based on a qualitative longitudinal case study...

  3. Interface between problem-based learning and a learner-centered paradigm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karimi, Reza

    2011-01-01

    Problem-based learning (PBL) has made a major shift in support of student learning for many medical school curricula around the world. Since curricular development of PBL in the early 1970s and its growth in the 1980s and 1990s, there have been growing numbers of publications providing positive and negative data in regard to the curricular effectiveness of PBL. The purpose of this study was to explore supportive data for the four core objectives of PBL and to identify an interface between the objectives of PBL and a learner-centered paradigm. The four core PBL objectives, ie, structuring of knowledge and clinical context, clinical reasoning, self-directed learning, and intrinsic motivation, were used to search MEDLINE, the Education Resources Information Center, the Educator's Reference Complete, and PsycINFO from January 1969 to January 2011. The literature search was facilitated and narrowed if the published study included the following terms: "problem-based learning", "medical education", "traditional curriculum", and one of the above four PBL objectives. Through a comprehensive search analysis, one can find supportive data for the effectiveness of a PBL curriculum in achieving the four core objectives of PBL. A further analysis of these four objectives suggests that there is an interface between PBL objectives and criteria from a learner-centered paradigm. In addition, this review indicates that promotion of teamwork among students is another interface that exists between PBL and a learner-centered paradigm. The desire of medical schools to enhance student learning and a need to provide an environment where students construct knowledge rather than receive knowledge have encouraged many medical schools to move into a learner-centered paradigm. Implementation of a PBL curriculum can be used as a prevailing starting point to develop not only a learner-centered paradigm, but also to facilitate a smooth curricular transition from a teacher-centered paradigm to a

  4. Interface between problem-based learning and a learner-centered paradigm

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karimi R

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Reza KarimiPacific University School of Pharmacy, Hillsboro, OR, USABackground: Problem-based learning (PBL has made a major shift in support of student learning for many medical school curricula around the world. Since curricular development of PBL in the early 1970s and its growth in the 1980s and 1990s, there have been growing numbers of publications providing positive and negative data in regard to the curricular effectiveness of PBL. The purpose of this study was to explore supportive data for the four core objectives of PBL and to identify an interface between the objectives of PBL and a learner-centered paradigm.Methods: The four core PBL objectives, ie, structuring of knowledge and clinical context, clinical reasoning, self-directed learning, and intrinsic motivation, were used to search MEDLINE, the Education Resources Information Center, the Educator’s Reference Complete, and PsycINFO from January 1969 to January 2011. The literature search was facilitated and narrowed if the published study included the following terms: “problem-based learning”, “medical education”, “traditional curriculum”, and one of the above four PBL objectives.Results: Through a comprehensive search analysis, one can find supportive data for the effectiveness of a PBL curriculum in achieving the four core objectives of PBL. A further analysis of these four objectives suggests that there is an interface between PBL objectives and criteria from a learner-centered paradigm. In addition, this review indicates that promotion of teamwork among students is another interface that exists between PBL and a learner-centered paradigm.Conclusion: The desire of medical schools to enhance student learning and a need to provide an environment where students construct knowledge rather than receive knowledge have encouraged many medical schools to move into a learner-centered paradigm. Implementation of a PBL curriculum can be used as a prevailing starting point to

  5. User-Centered Design through Learner-Centered Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altay, Burçak

    2014-01-01

    This article initially demonstrates the parallels between the learner-centered approach in education and the user-centered approach in design disciplines. Afterward, a course on human factors that applies learner-centered methods to teach user-centered design is introduced. The focus is on three tasks to identify the application of theoretical and…

  6. Work-Based Curriculum to Broaden Learners' Participation in Science: Insights for Designers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bopardikar, Anushree; Bernstein, Debra; Drayton, Brian; McKenney, Susan

    2018-05-01

    Around the globe, science education during compulsory schooling is envisioned for all learners regardless of their educational and career aspirations, including learners bound to the workforce upon secondary school completion. Yet, a major barrier in attaining this vision is low learner participation in secondary school science. Because curricula play a major role in shaping enacted learning, this study investigated how designers developed a high school physics curriculum with positive learning outcomes in learners with varied inclinations. Qualitative analysis of documents and semistructured interviews with the designers focused on the curriculum in different stages—from designers' ideas about learning goals to their vision for enactment to the printed materials—and on the design processes that brought them to fruition. This revealed designers' emphases on fostering workplace connections via learning goals and activities, and printed supports. The curriculum supported workplace-inspired, hands-on design-and-build projects, developed to address deeply a limited set of standards aligned learning goals. The curriculum also supported learners' interactions with relevant workplace professionals. To create these features, the designers reviewed other curricula to develop vision and printed supports, tested activities internally to assess content coverage, surveyed states in the USA receiving federal school-to-work grants and reviewed occupational information to choose unit topics and career contexts, and visited actual workplaces to learn about authentic praxis. Based on the worked example, this paper offers guidelines for designing work-based science curriculum products and processes that can serve the work of other designers, as well as recommendations for research serving designers and policymakers.

  7. Applying Learner-Centered Principles to Teaching Human Behavior in the Social Environment in a Baccalaureate Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karolich, Robert; Ford, Janet

    2013-01-01

    Changes in the demographics of American undergraduate students must be addressed by changes in delivery of the curriculum. The learner-centered approach to education helps to recognize and integrate student diversity with class exercises and assignments designed to help students meet course learning outcomes. This article applies the American…

  8. A Learner-Created Virtual Patient Curriculum for Surgical Residents: Successes and Failures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKendy, Katherine M; Posel, Nancy; Fleiszer, David M; Vassiliou, Melina C

    2016-01-01

    To determine the feasibility and effectiveness of a learner-created virtual patient (VP) curriculum for postgraduate year 2 surgical residents. Using a social-constructivist model of learning, we designed a learner-created VP curriculum to help postgraduate year 2 residents prepare for their in-training surgical examination. Each resident was assigned to create a VP curriculum based on the learning objectives for this examination, and VP cases were then disseminated to all residents for completion. To measure the learning effects of the curriculum, participants completed 2 simulated in-training examinations, both at the beginning and at the end of the intervention. Study participants also participated in a focus group and completed an online questionnaire about the perceived learning value of the curriculum. The study was conducted at the McGill University Health Centre, a tertiary care hospital in Montreal, Canada. In total, 24 residents from 7 surgical specialties completed both the pretest and posttest, as well as took part in the creation of a VP curriculum. Of those 24 residents, only 19 residents completed the cases created by their peers, with 7 completing greater than 50% of the cases and 12 completing less than 50%. In all 17 residents responded to the online questionnaire and 11 residents participated in the focus group. The VP curriculum failed to improve scores from pretest (59.6%, standard deviation = 8.1) to posttest (55.4%, standard deviation = 6.6; p = 0.01) on the simulated in-training examination. Nonetheless, survey results demonstrated that most residents felt that creating a VP case (89%) and completing cases created by their peers (71%) had educational value. Overall, 71% preferred active participation in a curriculum to traditional didactic teaching. The focus group identified time-related constraints, concern about the quality of the peer-created cases, and questioning of the relationship between the curriculum and the Surgical Foundations

  9. Technologies for learner-centered feedback

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jane Costello

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available As the number, type, and use of technologies to support learning increases, so do the opportunities for using these technologies for feedback. Learner-centered feedback is a core to the teaching-learning process. It is related to assessment in describing how learners perform in their learning, their gain in knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Feedback, types of feedback, guidelines for effective learner-centered feedback, and feedback’s relationship to assessment are presented. Methods of providing feedback, for example, automated, audio scribe pens, digital audio, etc., and the related technologies are described. Technologies that allow instructors to make informed decisions about the use of various methods for feedback are discussed.

  10. Assessment techniques for a learning-centered curriculum: evaluation design for adventures in supercomputing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Helland, B. [Ames Lab., IA (United States); Summers, B.G. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

    1996-09-01

    As the classroom paradigm shifts from being teacher-centered to being learner-centered, student assessments are evolving from typical paper and pencil testing to other methods of evaluation. Students should be probed for understanding, reasoning, and critical thinking abilities rather than their ability to return memorized facts. The assessment of the Department of Energy`s pilot program, Adventures in Supercomputing (AiS), offers one example of assessment techniques developed for learner-centered curricula. This assessment has employed a variety of methods to collect student data. Methods of assessment used were traditional testing, performance testing, interviews, short questionnaires via email, and student presentations of projects. The data obtained from these sources have been analyzed by a professional assessment team at the Center for Children and Technology. The results have been used to improve the AiS curriculum and establish the quality of the overall AiS program. This paper will discuss the various methods of assessment used and the results.

  11. Teaching a High-Level Contextualized Mathematics Curriculum to Adult Basic Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Showalter, Daniel A.; Wollett, Chelsie; Reynolds, Sharon

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports on the implementation of a high level contextualized mathematics curriculum by 12 adult basic instructors in a midwestern state. The 10-week pilot curriculum embedded high level mathematics in contexts that were familiar to adult learners. Instructors' weekly online posts were coded, and the following themes emerged: (a)…

  12. Supporting learner-centered technology integration through situated mentoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenberg, Marian Goode

    Situated mentoring was used as a professional development method to help 11 high school science teachers integrate learner-centered technology. The teachers' learner-centered technology beliefs and practices as well as their perception of barriers to learner-centered technology integration were explored before and after participating in the mentoring program. In addition, the participants' thoughts about the effectiveness of various components of the mentoring program were analyzed along with the mentor's observations of their practices. Situated mentoring can be effective for supporting learner-centered technology integration, in particular decreasing the barriers teachers experience. Goal setting, collaborative planning, reflection, and onsite just-in-time support were thought to be the most valuable components of the mentoring program.

  13. Ethical issues identified by obstetrics and gynecology learners through a novel ethics curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mejia, Rachel B; Shinkunas, Laura A; Ryan, Ginny L

    2015-12-01

    Obstetrics and gynecology (ob/gyn) is fraught with bioethical issues, the professional significance of which may vary based on clinical experience. Our objective was to utilize our novel ethics curriculum to identify ethics and professionalism issues highlighted by ob/gyn learners and to compare responses between learner levels to further inform curricular development. We introduced an integrated and dynamic ob/gyn ethics and professionalism curriculum and mixed methods analysis of 181 resulting written reflections (case observation and assessments) from third-year medical students and from first- to fourth-year ob/gyn residents. Content was compared by learner level using basic thematic analysis and summary statistics. Within the 7 major ethics and professionalism domains, learners wrote most frequently about miscellaneous ob/gyn issues such as periviability and abortion (22% of students, 20% of residents) and problematic treatment decisions (20% of students, 19% of residents) rather than professional duty, communication, justice, student-/resident-specific issues, or quality of care. The most commonly discussed ob/gyn area by both learner groups was obstetrics rather than gynecology, gynecologic oncology, or reproductive endocrinology and infertility, although residents were more likely to discuss obstetrics-related concerns than students (65% vs 48%; P = .04) and students wrote about gynecologic oncology-related concerns more frequently than residents (25% vs 6%; P = .002). In their reflections, sources of ethical value (eg, the 4 classic ethics principles, professional guidelines, and consequentialism) were cited more frequently and in greater number by students than by residents (82% of students cited at least 1 source of ethical value vs 65% of residents; P = .01). Residents disagreed more frequently with the ethical propriety of clinical management than did students (67% vs 43%; P = .005). Our study introduces an innovative and dynamic approach to an ob

  14. Technologies for Learner-Centered Feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costello, Jane; Crane, Daph

    2013-01-01

    As the number, type, and use of technologies to support learning increases, so do the opportunities for using these technologies for feedback. Learner-centered feedback is a core to the teaching-learning process. It is related to assessment in describing how learners perform in their learning, their gain in knowledge, skills, and attitudes.…

  15. Education Quality and the Kenyan 8-4-4 Curriculum: Secondary School Learners' Experiences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milligan, Lizzi O.

    2017-01-01

    This article explores the implementation of Kenyan secondary education in rural Western Kenya, focusing on learners' experiences. One of the key challenges to educational quality is shown to be the size and breadth of the secondary education curriculum. Learners are in school 12 hours a day with those approaching their final exams working three to…

  16. Status of teaching elementary science for English learners in science, mathematics and technology centered magnet schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Alyson Kim

    According to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (2001), one in three students speaks a language other than English. Additionally, the Commission stated that a student is considered to be an English learner if the second language acquisition is English. In California more than 1.4 million English learners enter school speaking a variety of languages, and this number continues to rise. There is an imminent need to promote instructional strategies that support this group of diverse learners. Although this was not a California study, the results derived from the nationwide participants' responses provided a congruent assessment of the basic need to provide effective science teaching strategies to all English learners. The purpose of this study was to examine the status of elementary science teaching practices used with English learners in kindergarten through fifth grade in public mathematics, science, and technology-centered elementary magnet schools throughout the country. This descriptive research was designed to provide current information and to identify trends in the areas of curriculum and instruction for English learners in science themed magnet schools. This report described the status of elementary (grades K-5) school science instruction for English learners based on the responses of 116 elementary school teachers: 59 grade K-2, and 57 grade 3-5 teachers. Current research-based approaches support incorporating self-directed learning strategy, expository teaching strategy, active listening strategies, questioning strategies, wait time strategy, small group strategy, peer tutoring strategy, large group learning strategy, demonstrations strategy, formal debates strategy, review sessions strategy, mediated conversation strategy, cooperative learning strategy, and theme-based instruction into the curriculum to assist English learners in science education. Science Technology Society (STS) strategy, problem-based learning strategy, discovery learning

  17. Curriculum Designed for an Equitable Pedagogy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cullen, Roxanne; Hill, Reinhold R.

    2013-01-01

    Rather than viewing curriculum as linear, a post-modern, learner-centered curriculum design is a spiral or recursive curriculum. Post-modernism provides a much less stable foundation upon which to build a model of student learning, a model that recognizes and even celebrates individual difference and one that is supported by research on how people…

  18. Ten Tips for Engaging the Millennial Learner and Moving an Emergency Medicine Residency Curriculum into the 21st Century.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toohey, Shannon L; Wray, Alisa; Wiechmann, Warren; Lin, Michelle; Boysen-Osborn, Megan

    2016-05-01

    Millennial learners are changing the face of residency education because they place emphasis on technology with new styles and means of learning. While research on the most effective way to teach the millennial learner is lacking, programs should consider incorporating educational theories and multimedia design principles to update the curriculum for these new learners. The purpose of the study is to discuss strategies for updating an emergency medicine (EM) residency program's curriculum to accommodate the modern learner. These 10 tips provide detailed examples and approaches to incorporate technology and learning theories into an EM curriculum to potentially enhance learning and engagement by residents. While it is unclear whether technologies actually promote or enhance learning, millennials use these technologies. Identifying best practice, grounded by theory and active learning principles, may help learners receive quality, high-yield education. Future studies will need to evaluate the efficacy of these techniques to fully delineate best practices.

  19. Ten Tips for Engaging the Millennial Learner and Moving an Emergency Medicine Residency Curriculum into the 21st Century

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shannon L. Toohey

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Millennial learners are changing the face of residency education because they place emphasis on technology with new styles and means of learning. While research on the most effective way to teach the millennial learner is lacking, programs should consider incorporating educational theories and multimedia design principles to update the curriculum for these new learners. The purpose of the study is to discuss strategies for updating an emergency medicine (EM residency program’s curriculum to accommodate the modern learner. Discussion: These 10 tips provide detailed examples and approaches to incorporate technology and learning theories into an EM curriculum to potentially enhance learning and engagement by residents. Conclusion: While it is unclear whether technologies actually promote or enhance learning, millennials use these technologies. Identifying best practice, grounded by theory and active learning principles, may help learners receive quality, high-yield education. Future studies will need to evaluate the efficacy of these techniques to fully delineate best practices.

  20. Learners with learning difficulties in mathematics : attitudes, curriculum and methods of teaching mathematics

    OpenAIRE

    2012-01-01

    D.Ed. The aim of this theses is to find out whether there is any relationship between learners' attitudes and learning difficulties in mathematics: To investigate whether learning difficulties in mathematics are associated with learners' gender. To establish the nature of teachers' perceptions of the learning problem areas in the mathematics curriculum. To find out about the teachers' views on the methods of teaching mathematics, resources, learning of mathematics, extra curricular activit...

  1. Examining learner-centered training with teen volunteer staff at an aquarium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bautista, Raelene M.

    This research project examined the effects of a training program that focused on helping youth volunteers create a learner-centered interaction at an Aquarium. This study explored whether this learner centered training resulted in an increased ability to identify learner-centered engagement as well as reported changes in practice. Most research on training programs and professional development, that introduces learner-centered strategies examines adult teachers working in formal environments. This study examined youth volunteer staff in an informal science institution that participated in a weekly one-hour training for four weeks during their eight week long summer volunteer program. The data showed that some of topics introduced in the learner centered training, such as the importance of visitors' prior knowledge and the use of objects, were identified more often as good practice after the training. In addition, participants seemed to hold on to some of their original perceptions of good practices, such as providing positive reinforcement and modifying their physical posture to make the visitors feel comfortable. The investigation also revealed that conversation patterns changed in some participants' practice as a result of the training.

  2. Teachers' Perceptions of Curriculum Modification for Students Who Are Gifted.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehlers, Kristy; Montgomery, Diane

    Differentiating instruction for diverse learners means planning and implementing curriculum based on each student's level of readiness. Appropriate curriculum development for gifted and talented students involves differentiation of content, teaching and learning strategies, and student products in a student-centered environment. A study used Q…

  3. Fostering learners' interaction with content: A learner-centered mobile device interface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdous, M.

    2015-12-01

    With the ever-increasing omnipresence of mobile devices in student life, leveraging smart devices to foster students' interaction with course content is critical. Following a learner-centered design iterative approach, we designed a mobile interface that may enable learners to access and interact with online course content efficiently and intuitively. Our design process leveraged recent technologies, such as bootstrap, Google's Material Design, HTML5, and JavaScript to design an intuitive, efficient, and portable mobile interface with a variety of built-in features, including context sensitive bookmarking, searching, progress tracking, captioning, and transcript display. The mobile interface also offers students the ability to ask context-related questions and to complete self-checks as they watch audio/video presentations. Our design process involved ongoing iterative feedback from learners, allowing us to refine and tweak the interface to provide learners with a unified experience across platforms and devices. The innovative combination of technologies built around well-structured and well-designed content seems to provide an effective learning experience to mobile learners. Early feedback indicates a high level of satisfaction with the interface's efficiency, intuitiveness, and robustness from both students and faculty.

  4. Learner Centered Classroom in Science Instruction: Providing Feedback with Technology Integration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yilmaz, Ozkan

    2017-01-01

    "Learner centered" term points out environments that attention to the learners brings to the educational setting. This term includes teaching practices: effort to uncover what learners think in a specific problem on hand, talking about their misconceptions and, giving them situations to readjust their ideas. In Learner centered…

  5. Benchmarking the Degree of Implementation of Learner-Centered Approaches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blumberg, Phyllis; Pontiggia, Laura

    2011-01-01

    We describe an objective way to measure whether curricula, educational programs, and institutions are learner-centered. This technique for benchmarking learner-centeredness uses rubrics to measure courses on 29 components within Weimer's five dimensions. We converted the scores on the rubrics to four-point indices and constructed histograms that…

  6. Symphony: A case study for exploring and describing design methods and guidelines for learner-centered design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quintana, Christopher

    Learner-centered design is an evolving software design perspective addressing the needs of learners---a specific audience trying to work in and understand new work practices in which they have a novice or naive understanding. Learner-centered design involves designing software that incorporates work support features (or scaffolding features) informed by social constructivist learning theories. By adopting a constructivist "learning by doing" perspective, scaffolds should support learners so they can mindfully engage in previously inaccessible work activity, which in turn allows those learners to progressively gain a better understanding of the new work. While there is an intuitive notion of "learner-centered design", there is less specific design information for developing learner-centered software. As a result, learner-centered software results from "educated guesses" and ad-hoc design approaches rather than from systematic design methods. Thus there is a need for specific design guidance to facilitate the development of learner-centered tools that help learners see the tasks, terminology, tools, etc. in the new work context and engage in that work. The research in this dissertation provides a more specific base of learner-centered design descriptions, methods, and guidelines to analyze work practices and design and evaluate scaffolds. The research approach involves using the development of Symphony---a scaffolded integrated tool environment for high-school students learning the work of computational science inquiry---as a case study to develop the learner-centered design approach. Symphony incorporates a variety of science tools with process scaffolding to support students in performing complex air pollution investigations. Six ninth-grade students used Symphony to investigate air quality questions for several weeks in an environmental science class. The student testing helped assess the effectiveness of the software scaffolding and in turn, the learner-centered

  7. Predictive Validity of Curriculum-Based Measures for English Learners at Varying English Proficiency Levels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jennifer Sun; Vanderwood, Michael L.; Lee, Catherine Y.

    2016-01-01

    This study examined the predictive validity of curriculum-based measures in reading for Spanish-speaking English learners (ELs) at various levels of English proficiency. Third-grade Spanish-speaking EL students were screened during the fall using DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency (DORF) and Daze. Predictive validity was examined in relation to spring…

  8. Clinic teaching made easy: a prospective study of the American Academy of Dermatology core curriculum in primary care learners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCleskey, Patrick E

    2013-08-01

    Dermatology instruction for primary care learners is limited, and the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has developed a new core curriculum for dermatology. This study sought to prospectively evaluate short-term knowledge acquisition and long-term knowledge retention after using the AAD core curriculum during a clinical dermatology clerkship. Resident physicians and physician assistant students performing clerkships at military dermatology clinics were given access to the AAD core curriculum teaching modules before their public availability. Knowledge acquisition was measured with pretests and posttests, and a follow-up quiz was given up to a year after the dermatology rotation to assess knowledge retention. In all, 82 primary care learners met inclusion criteria. Knowledge improved significantly from pretest to posttest (60.1 vs 77.4, P dermatology clerkship. Copyright © 2012 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Sociology of Hidden Curriculum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alireza Moradi

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper reviews the concept of hidden curriculum in the sociological theories and wants to explain sociological aspects of formation of hidden curriculum. The main question concentrates on the theoretical approaches in which hidden curriculum is explained sociologically.For this purpose it was applied qualitative research methodology. The relevant data include various sociological concepts and theories of hidden curriculum collected by the documentary method. The study showed a set of rules, procedures, relationships and social structure of education have decisive role in the formation of hidden curriculum. A hidden curriculum reinforces by existed inequalities among learners (based on their social classes or statues. There is, in fact, a balance between the learner's "knowledge receptions" with their "inequality proportion".The hidden curriculum studies from different major sociological theories such as Functionalism, Marxism and critical theory, Symbolic internationalism and Feminism. According to the functionalist perspective a hidden curriculum has a social function because it transmits social values. Marxists and critical thinkers correlate between hidden curriculum and the totality of social structure. They depicts that curriculum prepares learners for the exploitation in the work markets. Symbolic internationalism rejects absolute hegemony of hidden curriculum on education and looks to the socialization as a result of interaction between learner and instructor. Feminism theory also considers hidden curriculum as a vehicle which legitimates gender stereotypes.

  10. Contextualized Workforce Skills and ESL Learner Identity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vafai, Maliheh Mansuripur

    2016-01-01

    This article reports on an empirical case study centering on adult ESL learners' motivational patterns for learning English and its relevance to their career goals. It looks at past patterns of immigrant insertion within the socioeconomic context of the US and explores current trends in adult ESL curriculum development focused on the task of…

  11. Talk the Talk: Implementing a Communication Curriculum for Surgical Residents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newcomb, Anna B; Trickey, Amber W; Porrey, Melissa; Wright, Jeffrey; Piscitani, Franco; Graling, Paula; Dort, Jonathan

    The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education milestones provide a framework of specific interpersonal and communication skills that surgical trainees should aim to master. However, training and assessment of resident nontechnical skills remains challenging. We aimed to develop and implement a curriculum incorporating interactive learning principles such as group discussion and simulation-based scenarios to formalize instruction in patient-centered communication skills, and to identify best practices when building such a program. The curriculum is presented in quarterly modules over a 2-year cycle. Using our surgical simulation center for the training, we focused on proven strategies for interacting with patients and other providers. We trained and used former patients as standardized participants (SPs) in communication scenarios. Surgical simulation center in a 900-bed tertiary care hospital. Program learners were general surgery residents (postgraduate year 1-5). Trauma Survivors Network volunteers served as SPs in simulation scenarios. We identified several important lessons: (1) designing and implementing a new curriculum is a challenging process with multiple barriers and complexities; (2) several readily available facilitators can ease the implementation process; (3) with the right approach, learners, faculty, and colleagues are enthusiastic and engaged participants; (4) learners increasingly agree that communication skills can be improved with practice and appreciate the curriculum value; (5) patient SPs can be valuable members of the team; and importantly (6) the culture of patient-physician communication appears to shift with the implementation of such a curriculum. Our approach using Trauma Survivors Network volunteers as SPs could be reproduced in other institutions with similar programs. Faculty enthusiasm and support is strong, and learner participation is active. Continued focus on patient and family communication skills would enhance

  12. A Formalized Three-Year Emergency Medicine Residency Ultrasound Education Curriculum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew King

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Audience and type of curriculum: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Emergency Medicine Residency Program Ultrasound Education Curriculum is a three-year curriculum for PGY-1 to PGY-3 learners. Introduction/Background: Each year of the three-year The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Emergency Medicine Ultrasound Curriculum focuses on different aspects of emergency ultrasonography, thereby promoting progressive understanding and utilization of point-of-care ultrasound in medical decision-making during residency training. Ultrasound is an invaluable bedside tool for emergency physicians; this skill must be mastered by resident learners during residency training, and ultrasound competency is a required ACGME milestone.1 The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP currently recommends that 11 applications of emergency ultrasound be part of the core skills of an emergency physician.2 This curriculum acknowledges the standards developed by ACEP and the ACGME. Objectives: Learners will 1 know the indications for each the 11 ACEP point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS applications; 2 perform each of the 11 ACEP POCUS applications; 3 integrate POCUS into medical decision-making. Methods: The educational strategies used in this curriculum include: independent, self-directed learning (textbook and literature reading, brief didactic sessions describing indications and technique for each examination, hands-on ultrasound scanning under the direct supervision of ultrasound faculty with real-time feedback, and quality assurance review of ultrasound images. Residents are expected to perform a minimum of 150 ultrasound examinations with associated quality assurance during the course of their residency training. The time requirements, reading material, and ultrasound techniques taught vary depending on the year of training. Length of curriculum: The entirety of the curriculum is three years; however, each year of residency training has

  13. Why Learner-Centered New Faculty Orientations Matter: Organizational Culture and Faculty Retention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Whitney; Lemus, Daisy; Knotts, Greg; Oh, Janet

    2016-01-01

    A learner-centered New Faculty Orientation (NFO) can be a powerful way to immediately engage new faculty and develop their organizational identification to the institution and its values. Unfortunately, some NFOs do not model a learner-centered philosophy and miss opportunities to establish a collaborative and celebratory tone. In this paper, we…

  14. Effect of Learner-Centered Education on the Academic Outcomes of Minority Groups

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salinas, Moises F.; Garr, Johanna

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of the present study is to determine the effect that learner-centered classrooms and schools have on the academic performance of minority and nonminority groups. A diverse sample of schools at the elementary school level were selected. Teachers were also asked to complete the Assessment of Learner Centered Practices questionnaire, an…

  15. Learner-Centered Micro Teaching in Teacher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kilic, Abdurrahman

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of Learner-Centered Micro Teaching (LCMT) on the development of teacher candidates' teaching competencies. To achieve this goal, teacher candidates' teaching behaviors on subject area, planning, teaching process, classroom management, communication, and evaluation have been pre- and…

  16. Curriculum Theory: Conflicting Visions and Enduring Concerns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schiro, Michael Stephen

    2007-01-01

    This book presents a description of the major curriculum philosophies that have influenced educators and schooling over the last century. The author analyzes four educational visions (Scholar Academic, Social Efficiency, Learner Centered, and Social Reconstruction) to enable readers to reflect on their own educational beliefs and allow them to…

  17. Effect of learner-centered teaching on motivation and learning strategies in a third-year pharmacotherapy course.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheang, Kai I

    2009-05-27

    To develop, implement, and assess a learner-centered approach to teaching a third-year pharmacotherapy course in a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program. The pharmacotherapy course was restructured according to the learner-centered approach. The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) was administered to students before and after taking the course, and changes in MSLQ subscales from baseline were evaluated. Students' response to the learner-centered approach and characteristics associated with MSLQ scores were also evaluated. Compared to baseline, students' intrinsic goal orientation control of learning beliefs, self-efficacy, critical thinking, and metacognitive self-regulation improved after taking the course. Students responded positively to the learner-centered approach. Additionally, students with a clinical practice career orientation or who prepared frequently for classes scored higher on several MSLQ domains. The learner-centered approach was effective in promoting several domains of motivation and learning strategies in a third-year pharmacotherapy course.

  18. Design, Implementation and Analysis of Learner-Centered Guided In-Service Programme for Technical Teacher Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tiia Rüütmann

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The design of learner-centered guided in-service program for technical teacher education has been launched at Estonian Centre for Engineering Pedagogy at Tallinn University of Technology. The aim of the program has been facilitating the initial in-service teaching experience, involving mentoring, peer support and cognitive apprenticeship. The emphasis has been on teaching for knowledge application, including the choice of content and processes, motivation, reflection, problem-solving, choice of educational technology, effective teaching methods, teaching models and strategies ཿ concepts, tools and procedures of the field of engineering, organized in ways enabling teachers to formulate real world problems, apply and solve them. The program has been implemented since 2012 and covers IGIP curriculum requirements. In the present article the designed program is described and analyzed.

  19. Work in Progress : Learner-Centered Online Learning Facility

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pantic, M.; Zwitserloot, R.; De Weerdt, M.M.

    2006-01-01

    This paper describes a novel, learner-centered technology for authoring web lectures. Besides seamless integration of video and audio feeds, Microsoft PowerPoint slides, and web-pages, the proposed Online Learning Facility (OLF) also facilitates online interactive testing and review of covered

  20. Enacting a People-Centred Curriculum in ELT with Teenage Learners (La vivencia de un currículo basado en los actores de la clase de inglés con adolescentes)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banegas, Darío Luis; Velázquez, Aurelia

    2014-01-01

    In this paper we reflect on the extent to which the learner-centred curriculum in English language teaching includes teachers and learners. We briefly describe the top-down nature of curriculum development in Argentina, then describe and discuss personal and collaborative explorations based on our identities as teachers of English in secondary…

  1. A Learner-Centered Molecular Modeling Exercise for Allied Health Majors in a Biochemistry Class

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fletcher, Terace M.; Ershler, Jeff

    2014-01-01

    Learner-centered molecular modeling exercises in college science courses can be especially challenging for nonchemistry majors as students typically have a higher degree of anxiety and may not appreciate the relevance of the work. This article describes a learner-centered project given to allied health majors in a Biochemistry course. The project…

  2. Pursuing Personal Passion: Learner-Centered Research Mentoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, William R

    2018-01-01

    New researchers often face difficulty finding and focusing research questions. I describe a new tool for research mentoring, the Pursuing Personal Passion (P3) interview, and a systematic approach to help learners organize their curiosity and develop researchable questions aligned with their personal and professional priorities. The learner-centered P3 research interview parallels the patient-centered clinical interview. This paper reviews experience with 27 research mentees over the years 2009 to 2016, using the P3 approach to identify their initial research topics, classify their underlying passions and track the evolution into their final research questions. These researchers usually identified one of three personal passions that provided lenses to focus their research: problem, person, or process. Initial research topics focused on: problem (24%, 6), person (48%, 12) and process (28%, 7). Final research questions evolved into: problem (20%, 5), person (32%, 8) and process (48%, 12). Identification of the underlying passion can lead researchers who start with one general topic to develop it into very different research questions. Using this P3 approach, mentors can help new researchers focus their interests into researchable questions, successful studies, and organized programs of scholarship.

  3. Empowering Language Learners through the Use of a Curriculum-Integrated Information Literacy Programme: An Action Research Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alzahrani, Sahar

    2017-01-01

    This paper implements and evaluates a curriculum-integrated information literacy programme in an Arabic primary school in the United Kingdom to empower learners and develop life-long learning skills. It reports on an action research project with a reflective practice approach used at the beginning of the semester to identify potential problems…

  4. Strategies to Keep the MS 1 and MS 2 Subjects Relevant and Learner-Centered With Selected Courses in Bicol University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mercielen R. De Leon

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available CHED Memorandum Order 59 series of 1996 mandates the teaching of Philippine History and Rizal to students in the tertiary level as part of the General Education Curriculum. Bicol University lodges upon the General Education Department (GenEd the teaching of the Mandated Subjects. The General Education Department, therefore, faces the challenge of fostering the values of nationalism and cultural heritage, and at the same time, keeping up with the demands of time for global competitiveness, relevance of the subject to economic and social developments, and keeping up with the learner-centered curriculum. Five courses with different interests and specializations (Computer Science, Education, Biology, Philosophy, Physical Education during the school year of 2011- 2012 were subjected to surveys, observation, rubrics and evaluation. This resulted to varied teaching strategies, activities and required output for every course which catered to their distinct interests, skills, and aligned with the required skills of their fields of specialization

  5. The Process of Curriculum Innovations in the Army

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-08-01

    just tell them they were wrong. The hands-on exercises were viewed as one way of developing the technical competence needed, as instructors...PowerPoint) __Soldier competencies per the Army Learning Model __Learner-centered and/or problem solving activities/ exercises /scenarios __Principles...Diffusion of Innovations, Program of Instruction, Instructional Techniques, Curriculum Development, Soldier Competencies , Army Training and Education 16

  6. Translating curriculum into practice at Eastern Cape Technikon - a ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The purpose of the programme was defined as to train a core group of staff members to become competent curriculum developers according to SAQA requirements and to enable them to play a leading role in the development of learner centered and open learning approaches. In addition to a skills audit different workshops ...

  7. The Practice of Learner-Centered Method in Upper Primary Schools ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    Department of Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, Jimma University , Jimma Ethiopia. E-mail: .... teacher used one of the 33 Learner-centered methods or not. .... Sex. No. of teachers in selected schools. Teaching Experience. Male. Female.

  8. Development and evaluation of a learner-centered training course on communication skills for baccalaureate nursing students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lau, Ying; Wang, Wenru

    2013-12-01

    There is no standardized or formal communication skills training in the current nursing curriculum in Macao, China. To develop and evaluate a learner-centered communication skills training course. Both qualitative and quantitative designs were used in two separate stages. A randomized sample and a convenience sample were taken from students on a four-year bachelor's degree program at a public institute in Macao. Stage I consisted of developing a learner-centered communication skills training course using four focus groups (n=32). Stage II evaluated the training's efficacy by comparing communication skills, clinical interaction, interpersonal dysfunction, and social problem-solving abilities using a quasi-experimental longitudinal pre-post design among 62 nursing students. A course evaluation form was also used. Content analysis was used to evaluate the essential themes in order to develop the specific content and teaching strategies of the course. Paired t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests showed significant improvement in all post-training scores for communication ability, content of communication, and handling of communication barriers. According to the mean scores of the course evaluation form, students were generally very satisfied with the course: 6.11 to 6.74 on a scale of 1 to 7. This study showed that the course was effective in improving communication skills, especially in terms of the content and the handling of communication barriers. The course filled an important gap in the training needs of nursing students in Macao. The importance of these findings and their implications for nursing education are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Medical Students' Perspectives on Implementing Curriculum Change at One Institution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yengo-Kahn, Aaron M; Baker, Courtney E; Lomis, And Kimberly D

    2017-04-01

    Training physicians to be effective practitioners throughout their careers begins in undergraduate medical education with particular focus on self-directed inquiry, professional and interprofessional development, and competency-based assessment. A select number of medical schools are restructuring their curricula by placing the student at the center of content delivery to enhance the learning experience. While this restructuring may benefit the adult learner, administrators often make assumptions about how students will perceive and respond to such innovative and unfamiliar educational concepts. This can create a disconnect between students and their curriculum. Administrative mindfulness of student experiences is needed to ensure successful implementation of curricular change, facilitate the transition from old to new modalities, and train competent physician graduates.Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) recently completed a curriculum update, and student representatives have been essential participants in the transition, from the earliest stages in preplanning to rapid-cycle feedback as the curriculum runs. Two of the authors are members of VUSM's Student Curriculum Committee, which facilitates gathering and relaying student feedback to the administration. Drawing from their experiences, five specific considerations to address and manage when implementing student-centered curricular change are presented: (1) Communicate the rationale, (2) acknowledge anxiety, (3) adjust extracurricular leadership roles, (4) manage "The Bulge" of learners in the clinical environment, and (5) foster ongoing collaboration of students and administrators. For each consideration, examples and proposed solutions are provided.

  10. Learner-Centered Pedagogy: Considerations for Application in a Didactic Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moate, Randall M.; Cox, Jane A.

    2015-01-01

    A learner-centered teaching approach is well known in higher education but has not been fully addressed within counselor education. Instructors who adopt this approach value a collaborative approach to teaching and learning, one that honors students' wisdom and contributions. Teachers create a learning environment encouraging students to actively…

  11. Novel Emergency Medicine Curriculum Utilizing Self-Directed Learning and the Flipped Classroom Method: Genitourinary Emergencies Small Group Module

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew King

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Audience: This curriculum, created and implemented at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, was designed to educate our emergency medicine (EM residents, PGY-1 to PGY-3, as well as medical students. Introduction: In 2013, there were over 6 million Emergency Department visits in the United States which resulted in a primary diagnosis of the genitourinary system. This represents 5.2% of all Emergency Department visits.1 Residents must be proficient in the differential diagnosis and management of the wide variety of genitourinary emergencies. This flipped classroom curricular model emphasizes self-directed learning activities completed by learners, followed by small group discussions pertaining to the topic reviewed. The active learning fostered by this curriculum increases faculty and learner engagement and interaction time typically absent in traditional lecture-based formats.2-4 Studies have revealed that the application of knowledge through case studies, personal interaction with content experts, and integrated questions are effective learning strategies for emergency medicine residents.4-6 The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center EM Residency didactic curriculum recently transitioned to a “flipped classroom” approach.7-10 We created this innovative curriculum aimed to improve our residency education program and to share educational resources with other EM residency programs. Our curriculum utilizes an 18-month curricular cycle to cover the defined emergency medicine content. The flipped classroom curriculum maximizes didactic time and resident engagement, fosters intellectual curiosity and active learning, and meets the needs of today’s learners. 3,6,11 Objectives: We aim to teach the presentation and management of genitourinary emergencies through the creation of a flipped classroom design. This unique, innovative curriculum utilizes resources chosen by education faculty and resident learners, study questions, real

  12. Automated Library of the Future: Estrella Mountain Community College Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Community & Junior College Libraries, 1991

    1991-01-01

    Describes plans for the Integrated High Technology Library (IHTL) at the Maricopa County Community College District's new Estrella Mountain campus, covering collaborative planning, the IHTL's design, and guidelines for the new center and campus (e.g., establishing computing/information-access across the curriculum; developing lifelong learners;…

  13. Reconstructing Christian Ethics: Exploring Constructivist Practices for Teaching Christian Ethics in the Masters of Divinity Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Danaher, William

    2009-01-01

    This article reflects on an effort to incorporate constructivist pedagogies (learner-centered, inquiry-guided, problem-based models of teaching) into an introductory class on Christian Ethics in an M.Div. curriculum. Although some students preferred more traditional pedagogies, the majority found that constructivist pedagogies better accommodated…

  14. A Paradigm Shift in Law Enforcement Training in the Bahamas: Teacher-Centered to Learner-Centered

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hunter-Johnson, Yvonne

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available This study focused on determining whether the learning preference of law enforcement officers in the Bahamas was either pedagogical (teacher-centered or andragogical (student-centered. Law enforcement personnel in a Bahamian police department were administered the Student Orientation Questionnaire (SOQ developed by Christian (1982. One hundred and sixty-eight individuals completed the SOQ. Chi square statistics were calculated on the variables of educational level and gender. The preferred learning orientation was primarily andragogical; those with higher education levels tended to have a higher andragogical orientation. There were no differences by gender. As a result of the findings, a three-step approach is proposed to transition the training environment from one that is teacher-centered to one that is learner-centered

  15. Personalized Integrated Educational System: Technology Functions for the Learner- Centered Paradigm of Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reigeluth, Charles M.; Aslan, Sinem; Chen, Zengguan; Dutta, Pratima; Huh, Yeol; Lee, Dabae; Lin, Chun-Yi; Lu, Ya-Huei; Min, Mina; Tan, Verily; Watson, Sunnie Lee; Watson, William R.

    2015-01-01

    The learner-centered paradigm of instruction differs in such fundamental ways from the teacher-centered paradigm that it requires technology to serve very different functions. In 2006, a research team at Indiana University began to work on identifying those functions and published their results in 2008. Subsequently, the team elaborated and…

  16. Resident Education Curriculum in Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology: The Short Curriculum 2.0.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Talib, Hina J; Karjane, Nicole; Teelin, Karen; Abraham, Margaret; Holt, Stephanie; Chelvakumar, Gayaythri; Dumont, Tania; Huguelet, Patricia S; Conner, Lindsay; Wheeler, Carol; Fleming, Nathalie

    2018-04-01

    The degree of exposure to pediatric and adolescent gynecology (PAG) varies across residency programs in obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics. Nevertheless, these programs are responsible for training residents and providing opportunities within their programs to fulfill PAG learning objectives. To that end, the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology has taken a leadership role in PAG resident education by creating and systematically updating the Short Curriculum. This curriculum outlines specific learning objectives that are central to PAG education and lists essential resources for learners' reference. This updated curriculum replaces the previous 2014 publication with added content, resources, and updated references. Additionally, attention to the needs of learners in pediatrics and adolescent medicine is given greater emphasis in this revised North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Short Curriculum 2.0. Copyright © 2017 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. The Learner Verification of Series r: The New Macmillan Reading Program; Highlights.

    Science.gov (United States)

    National Evaluation Systems, Inc., Amherst, MA.

    National Evaluation Systems, Inc., has developed curriculum evaluation techniques, in terms of learner verification, which may be used to help the curriculum-development efforts of publishing companies, state education departments, and universities. This document includes a summary of the learner-verification approach, with data collected about a…

  18. Teachers' sense-making of curriculum structures and its impact on the implementation of an innovative reform-based science curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beckford-Smart, Meredith

    This study discusses the social interactions involved in teachers' enactment and use of new science curricula. The teachers studied participated in the LiFE program, a university-school partnership, which is an inquiry based science and nutrition education program. In this program fifth and sixth grade students learned science through the study of food. The program used the study of food and food systems to teach life sciences and nutrition through inquiry based studies. Through the partnership teachers received professional development which aimed to deepen their conceptual understandings of life science and develop skills in implementing inquiry-base teaching. Using qualitative research methods of ethnography and narrative inquiry to study teachers' sense-making of messages from curriculum structures, the intention was to explore how teachers' sense-making of these structures guided their classroom practices. Two research questions were addressed: (a) How do teachers make sense of curriculum given their perceptions, their school context and their curricular context; (b) What influence do their identities as science teachers/learners have on their enactment of an innovative science curriculum. I used comparative analysis to examine teacher's beliefs and identities as teachers/learners. In the process of studying these teachers an understanding of how teachers' stories and identities shape their use and enactment of science curriculum came to light. The initial analysis revealed four distinct teacher identities: (a) social responsibility teacher/learner; (b) experiential teacher/learner; (c) supportive institution teacher/learner; and (d) turning point teacher. Besides these distinct teacher identities three cross cutting themes emerged: (a) creating environments conducive to their teaching visions; (b) empowering student through science teaching; and (c) dealing with the uncertainty of teaching. The information gathered from this study will illuminate how these

  19. Study of the Index System for Assessing Learner-Centered Online Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Mei

    2015-01-01

    With the development of e-learning, the quality of web-based courses attracts extensive interest. This paper draws upon the results conducted amongst students enrolled in an online language course at a northern Chinese university. The design of the course aims to create the learner-centered environment: personalized learning environment,…

  20. Creating a Learner-Centered Teaching Environment Using Student Choice in Assignments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanewicz, Cheryl; Platt, Angela; Arendt, Anne

    2017-01-01

    Learner-centered teaching (LCT) has been found to be a more effective pedagogy for online students, as traditional teaching methods do not work well in online courses. Professors in an upper-level technology management class revised their online introductory course to incorporate cafeteria-style grading. This LCT approach allowed students to…

  1. Novel Emergency Medicine Curriculum Utilizing Self-Directed Learning and the Flipped Classroom Method: Obstetric and Gynecologic Emergencies Small Group Module

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jillian McGrath

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Audience: This curriculum, created and implemented at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, was primarily designed to educate our emergency medicine (EM residents (PGY1-3 and emergency medicine/internal medicine (EM/IM residents (PGY1-5 on core obstetrics and gynecology topics in EM. Additional audience members include medical students and faculty physicians. Introduction: In 2013, there were over 1 million emergency department visits in the United States which resulted in primary obstetric or gynecologic diagnoses.1 EM Residents must be proficient in the differential diagnosis and management of the wide variety of obstetric and gynecologic emergencies. To do this, we developed a flipped classroom curricular model, which consists of self-directed learning activities completed by learners, followed by small group discussions pertaining to the topic reviewed. The active learning fostered by this type of curriculum increases faculty and learner engagement and interaction time typically absent in traditional lecture-based formats.2-4 Studies have revealed that the application of knowledge through case studies, personal interaction with content experts, and integrated questions are effective learning strategies for EM residents.4-6 The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center EM residency didactic curriculum recently transitioned to a “flipped classroom” approach.7-10 Our didactic curriculum is delivered over the course of 18 months; however, it could easily be adapted to other academic calendar cycles. The flipped classroom curriculum maximizes didactic time and resident engagement, fosters intellectual curiosity and active learning, and meets the needs of today’s learners. 3,6,11 Objectives: We aim to teach the presentation and management of obstetric and gynecologic emergencies through the creation of a flipped classroom design. This unique, innovative curriculum utilizes resources chosen by education faculty and resident

  2. Novel Emergency Medicine Curriculum Utilizing Self-Directed Learning and the Flipped Classroom Method: Gastrointestinal Emergencies Small Group Module

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew King

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Audience and type of curriculum: This curriculum created and implemented at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center was designed to educate our emergency medicine (EM residents, PGY-1 to PGY-3, as well as medical students and attending physicians. Introduction/Background: Gastrointestinal (GI emergencies comprise approximately 12% of emergency department (ED visits.1 Residents must be proficient in the differential diagnosis and management of the wide variety of GI emergencies. The flipped classroom curricular model emphasizes self-directed learning activities completed by learners, followed by small group discussions pertaining to the topic reviewed. The active learning fostered by this curriculum increases faculty and learner engagement and interaction time typically absent in traditional lecture-based formats.2-4 Studies have revealed that the application of knowledge through case studies, personal interaction with content experts, and integrated questions are effective learning strategies for emergency medicine residents.4-6 The Ohio State University EM Residency didactic curriculum recently transitioned to a “flipped classroom” approach.7-10 We created this innovative curriculum aimed to improve our residency education program and to share educational resources with other EM residency programs. This proposed curriculum utilizes an 18-month curricular cycle. The flipped classroom curriculum maximizes didactic time and resident engagement, fosters intellectual curiosity and active learning, and meets the needs of today’s learners. 3,6,11 Objectives: We aim to teach the presentation and management of GI emergencies through the creation of a flipped classroom design. This unique, innovative curriculum utilizes resources chosen by education faculty and resident learners, study questions, real-life experiences, and small group discussions in place of traditional lectures. In doing so, a goal of the curriculum is to encourage self

  3. An investigation into the opportunity to learn that is available to Grade 12 mathematics learners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gerrit Stols

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This study investigated the opportunity to learn (OTL that is available to Grade 12 mathematics learners. Learner workbooks were analysed in terms of time on task, curriculum coverage, curriculum coherence, and cognitive demand. Based on these elements, experienced mathematics teachers judged the opportunity that the learners have to achieve more than 60% for each topic. According to the workbooks, the average number of active learning days in this sample was 54.1 days per annum. This resulted in limited curriculum coverage in almost all sections in 16 of the 18 under-performing schools. In these schools, learners spent most of their time practising routine procedures. The high correlation of 0.95 (p < 0.001 between the experts'prediction about the opportunity to learn in the different schools (based on the learner workbooks and learners' actual performance in the Grade 12 exam shows that the number, the coverage, the cognitive level, and the coherence of activities play a major role in understanding learner performance.

  4. Bugs, Planes, and Ferris Wheels: A Problem-Centered Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, William E.; Kemp, Joyce C.; Zia, Joan H.

    2006-01-01

    This article describes a problem-centered curriculum for grades 9-12, using problem sets developed by a mathematics department and designed to take the place of textbooks. The students discover mathematical concepts in the context of the problems and activities in the materials.

  5. The Three Roots and Papa's Advice. A Puerto Rican Migration Story. A Learner-Centered Model Guide for Teachers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herendeen, Noemi Carrera; Mitchell, Alaire; Dinos, Carmen

    This document is part of a series of guides for teachers in which the Division of Bilingual Education of the New York City Board of Education presents a learner-centered model in which the learner sees himself or herself in the story. Learners are able to relive their own experiences or those of their parents or grandparents as they left their own…

  6. Teachers' Beliefs, Perceived Practice and Actual Classroom Practice in Relation to Traditional (Teacher-Centered) and Constructivist (Learner-Centered) Teaching (Note 1)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaymakamoglu, Sibel Ersel

    2018-01-01

    This study explored the EFL teachers' beliefs, perceived practice and actual classroom practice in relation to Traditional (teacher-centered) and Constructivist (learner-centered) teaching in Cyprus Turkish State Secondary Schools context. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews and structured observations were employed with purposively…

  7. Primary Trait Analysis to Assess a Learner-Centered, Upper-Level Mathematics Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alsardary, Salar; Pontiggia, Laura; Hamid, Mohammed; Blumberg, Phyllis

    2011-01-01

    This study presents a primary trait analysis of a learner-centered, discrete mathematics course based on student-to-student instruction. The authors developed a scoring rubric for the primary traits: conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, application of understanding, and mathematical communication skills. Eleven students took an exam…

  8. Use of games as a learner-centered strategy in gerontology, geriatrics, and aging-related courses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmall, Vicki; Grabinski, C Joanne; Bowman, Sally

    2008-01-01

    Based on their experience as designers and/or users of games as a learner-centered strategy in gerontology, geriatric, and aging-related courses and training programs, the authors note multiple advantages of using games as a learning tool, list six relevant games (including order information), and suggest a variety of ways games can be used. They offer guidelines to apply in selecting appropriate games and discuss key aspects of the instructor or facilitator's role in preparing learners for game playing, monitoring game play, and debriefing students once game play has ended. Outcomes for learners and course instructors are shared.

  9. Clinical skill center: a review of present situation and importance in medical education curriculum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haleh Talaei

    2002-07-01

    Full Text Available Clinical skill centers were designed in 1960, offers innovative, more effective clinical health care and treatment curriculum. Clinical skill center (CSC can provide a special facility for clinical and communication skills practice in a setting outside hospital wards in order to train students with enough confidence of confronting real patients. Learning clinical skills in these centers are not patient-dependent and by practicing on manikins and simulated models errors in real patients can be prevented. Moreover, possible feedback of this method can be used for evaluation and can improve quality and quantity of the education. This review intends to determine the purpose, undertaking, and structure of CSC. The study emphasizes the importance of integrating the clinical skill centers into the teaching curriculum of medical universities. Apparently, organizing clinical skill centers can play an important role for improving the quality and quantity of the educational system and consequently post-graduate performance. The authors recommend this program can be a solution for having both the knowledge and skill of diagnosis and treatment seasonal and rare diseases. Key words clinical skill center, medical education, curriculum

  10. A Critical Look at Different Classifications of Curriculum Principles: The Influence on Enhancing Learners’ Autonomy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Parviz Maftoon

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available In recent decades, following the shift of focus from the previous teacher-centered approaches and the emergence of social constructivist theories, learner autonomy has come to be considered as an important goal in the process of second language teaching and learning. Therefore, in the domain of L2 education, much effort has been made to make learners take on more responsibility for their own learning. In this direction, all attempts have concentrated merely on learners’ variables or teachers’ own practices neglecting the crucial place of instructional materials as an integral component of curriculum. Instructional materials generally serve as the basis for much of the language input learners receive and the language practice that occurs in the classroom. Therefore, realizing the key role of materials, a lot of research began to focus on devising out certain principles aimed at improving language syllabus or curriculum. Two main trends of research are remarkable in this regard. The first line of research deals with designing principles which are mostly confined to the organization and gradation of content for language course materials. The second line of research focuses on designing principles through which the instructional materials can enhance learner autonomy. Consequently, the present article has been developed in an attempt to first take a general look at some of the main classifications of these principles, and second and most importantly to elaborate in detail on those principles of language curriculum and course design which lead to increased autonomy in the learners. Finally, the implications and applications of such an approach will be discussed for all the stakeholders in the field.

  11. A Learner-Centered Spiral Knowledge Approach to Teaching Isotope Geology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reid, M. R.

    2006-12-01

    Aided by the insights I gained by participation in the Arizona Board of Regents Tri-University Collaboration on Learner-Centered Practice, I made major changes to a graduate course in isotope geology (GLG617), including: 1) implementation of a spiral knowledge approach (e.g., Bruner, 1990; Dyar et al., 2004); 2) incorporation of more learner-centered in-class activities; and 3) more explicit emphasis on skills that I regarded as important for success in geochemistry. In the geosciences, the field of isotope geology is now an essential area of inquiry with implications for geologic timescales, climate information, tracing geochemical processes, and biological evolution, to name a few. The traditional approach to teaching isotope geology suffers from the fact that learning tends to be compartmentalized by technique/approach and one subfield (e.g., stable or radiogenic isotopes) is usually favored by appearing earlier in semester. To make learning more integrated, I employed a simplified spiral learning approach so that common principles could be revisited several times over the course of the semester and, in so doing, students' grasp of the fundamental principles could be scaffolded into greater understanding. Other learner-centered changes to the course included more explicit emphasis on helping students become comfortable with interpreting data displayed graphically and explicit emphasis on helping students give and evaluate oral presentations that rely on isotope data. I also developed a detailed grading rubric for the final paper and allowed students to have a draft of their final papers evaluated and graded (guided by Huba and Freed, 2000) A number of cooperative learning activities developed specifically for this course (19 in all) enabled me to gain a better appreciation for students' learning. Activities included pair share, round-robin, small group explorations of techniques and case studies (sometimes as introduction to, sometimes as review of material

  12. A Case Study Documenting the Process by Which Biology Instructors Transition from Teacher-Centered to Learner-Centered Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marbach-Ad, Gili; Hunt Rietschel, Carly

    2016-01-01

    In this study, we used a case study approach to obtain an in-depth understanding of the change process of two university instructors who were involved with redesigning a biology course. Given the hesitancy of many biology instructors to adopt evidence-based, learner-centered teaching methods, there is a critical need to understand how biology instructors transition from teacher-centered (i.e., lecture-based) instruction to teaching that focuses on the students. Using the innovation-decision model for change, we explored the motivation, decision-making, and reflective processes of the two instructors through two consecutive, large-enrollment biology course offerings. Our data reveal that the change process is somewhat unpredictable, requiring patience and persistence during inevitable challenges that arise for instructors and students. For example, the change process requires instructors to adopt a teacher-facilitator role as opposed to an expert role, to cover fewer course topics in greater depth, and to give students a degree of control over their own learning. Students must adjust to taking responsibility for their own learning, working collaboratively, and relinquishing the anonymity afforded by lecture-based teaching. We suggest implications for instructors wishing to change their teaching and administrators wishing to encourage adoption of learner-centered teaching at their institutions. PMID:27856550

  13. Drawing upon Lessons Learned: Effective Curriculum and Instruction for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Gifted Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swanson, Julie Dingle

    2016-01-01

    Javits Gifted and Talented Education Program has provided a wealth of knowledge on culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) gifted learners and how to support teachers in their work with CLD students. This study examined five impactful Javits projects through qualitative inquiry centered on how innovative practice takes root or not. Using…

  14. Tracking Active Learning in the Medical School Curriculum: A Learning-Centered Approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCoy, Lise; Pettit, Robin K; Kellar, Charlyn; Morgan, Christine

    2018-01-01

    Medical education is moving toward active learning during large group lecture sessions. This study investigated the saturation and breadth of active learning techniques implemented in first year medical school large group sessions. Data collection involved retrospective curriculum review and semistructured interviews with 20 faculty. The authors piloted a taxonomy of active learning techniques and mapped learning techniques to attributes of learning-centered instruction. Faculty implemented 25 different active learning techniques over the course of 9 first year courses. Of 646 hours of large group instruction, 476 (74%) involved at least 1 active learning component. The frequency and variety of active learning components integrated throughout the year 1 curriculum reflect faculty familiarity with active learning methods and their support of an active learning culture. This project has sparked reflection on teaching practices and facilitated an evolution from teacher-centered to learning-centered instruction.

  15. Can curriculum managers' reflections produce new strategies ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    managers) who used Moodle visions to manage their school curriculum at a school in Durban, South Africa. The curriculum managers' main aim of using Moodle was to improve teacher and learner performance. The purpose of the study was to ...

  16. Novel Emergency Medicine Curriculum Utilizing Self-Directed Learning and the Flipped Classroom Method: Psychiatric Emergencies Small Group Module

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew King

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Audience: This curriculum created and implemented at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center was designed to educate our emergency medicine (EM residents, PGY-1 to PGY-3, as well as medical students and attending physicians. Introduction: In 2007, there were 12 million adult Emergency Department visits for mental health and substance abuse complaints. This represents 12.5% of all adult emergency department visits.1 Residents must be proficient in the differential diagnosis and management of the wide variety of psychiatric emergencies. The flipped classroom curricular model emphasizes self-directed learning activities completed by learners, followed by small group discussions pertaining to the topic reviewed. The active learning fostered by this curriculum increases faculty and learner engagement and interaction time typically absent in traditional lecture-based formats.2-4 Studies have revealed that the application of knowledge through case studies, personal interaction with content experts, and integrated questions are effective learning strategies for emergency medicine residents.4-6 The Ohio State University EM Residency didactic curriculum recently transitioned to a “flipped classroom” approach.7-10 We created this innovative curriculum aimed to improve our residency education program and to share educational resources with other EM residency programs. Our curriculum utilizes an 18-month curricular cycle to cover the defined emergency medicine content. The flipped classroom curriculum maximizes didactic time and resident engagement, fosters intellectual curiosity and active learning, and meets the needs of today’s learners. 3,6,11 Objectives: We aim to teach the presentation and management of psychiatric emergencies through the creation of a flipped classroom design. This unique, innovative curriculum utilizes resources chosen by education faculty and resident learners, study questions, real-life experiences, and small group

  17. Transforming the Hidden Curriculum: Gender and the Library Media Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crew, Hilary S.

    1998-01-01

    Library media specialists are critically positioned to make a significant contribution to instituting gender-fair practices within a school. This article discusses instructional materials, curriculum, and collection development; gender culture and the media center; sports, gender, and different ways of knowing; and science, gender, and different…

  18. Current Condition of Michigan Curriculum Materials Centers and Collections in Academic Institutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohrman, Rita

    2015-01-01

    A 2005 sabbatical study revealed 24 unique curriculum materials centers or collections (CMCs) in Michigan colleges or universities. The focus of the study was to investigate the number, characteristics, and quality of these centers and collections supporting education faculty and students. A follow up 2014 study asked how or if the Michigan…

  19. Practicing Learner-Centered Teaching: Pedagogical Design and Assessment of a Second Life Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schiller, Shu Z.

    2009-01-01

    Guided by the principles of learner-centered teaching methodology, a Second Life project is designed to engage students in active learning of virtual commerce through hands-on experiences and teamwork in a virtual environment. More importantly, an assessment framework is proposed to evaluate the learning objectives and learning process of the…

  20. Tracking Active Learning in the Medical School Curriculum: A Learning-Centered Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCoy, Lise; Pettit, Robin K; Kellar, Charlyn; Morgan, Christine

    2018-01-01

    Background: Medical education is moving toward active learning during large group lecture sessions. This study investigated the saturation and breadth of active learning techniques implemented in first year medical school large group sessions. Methods: Data collection involved retrospective curriculum review and semistructured interviews with 20 faculty. The authors piloted a taxonomy of active learning techniques and mapped learning techniques to attributes of learning-centered instruction. Results: Faculty implemented 25 different active learning techniques over the course of 9 first year courses. Of 646 hours of large group instruction, 476 (74%) involved at least 1 active learning component. Conclusions: The frequency and variety of active learning components integrated throughout the year 1 curriculum reflect faculty familiarity with active learning methods and their support of an active learning culture. This project has sparked reflection on teaching practices and facilitated an evolution from teacher-centered to learning-centered instruction. PMID:29707649

  1. Making space for adult learners in higher education | Osman | South ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    education and the workplace. We use adult education and social learning theories to analyse an honours programme in Journalism and Media Studies where adult learners have flourished because access has been linked to learners' motivation, mindful adaptations to the curriculum, and support from the workplace.

  2. Learner-Centered Instruction (LCI): Volume 7. Evaluation of the LCI Approach. Final Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pieper, William J.; And Others

    An evaluation of the learner-centered instruction (LCI) approach to training was conducted by comparing the LCI F-111A weapons control systems mechanic/technician course with the conventional Air Force course for the same Air Force specialty code (AFSC) on the following dimensions; job performance of course graduates, man-hour and dollar costs of…

  3. Improving thinking skills in science of learners with (dis)abilities

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erna Kinsey

    learning areas, are more relevant to learners than transmitting factual content to them, for example ... on the curriculum, inclusive education and disability, mandate that science ... to help learners with special needs to progress in a safe, encouraging .... first step with previous ideas and feelings that the teacher- researcher ...

  4. Teachers' Attitude towards Implementation of Learner-Centered Methodology in Science Education in Kenya

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ndirangu, Caroline

    2017-01-01

    This study aims to evaluate teachers' attitude towards implementation of learner-centered methodology in science education in Kenya. The study used a survey design methodology, adopting the purposive, stratified random and simple random sampling procedures and hypothesised that there was no significant relationship between the head teachers'…

  5. Including the gifted learner: perceptions of South African teachers and principals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marietjie Oswald

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We report the findings of a qualitative study embedded in an interpretive paradigm to determine the perceptions of South African primary school teachers and principals regarding the inclusion of learners considered gifted. Eight principals and 16 classroom teachers in the Foundation Phase (Grades 1-3 in public primary schools situated in communities that were representative of the different socio-economic and language groups in the Western Cape province participated in the study. Qualitative data collection methods included in-depth individual semi-structured interviews with the eight principals and two semi-structuredfocus group interviews with the 16 classroom teachers. Qualitative content analysis revealed the following themes: inclusive education and the learner who is gifted; curriculum differentiation; obstacles to curriculum differentiation; and possible solutions for more effectively including the gifted learner. Despite their diversity in terms of culture, language and positioning by the previous apartheid regime, the participants acknowledged the marginalisation by default of gifted learners. Gifted learners were most often those who were not receiving appropriate education and support and data suggested that a particular drive for the inclusion of gifted learners was absent in the agenda of education authorities.

  6. Hidden Curriculum: An Analytical Definition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Reza Andarvazh

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: The concept of hidden curriculum was first used by Philip Jackson in 1968, and Hafferty brought this concept to the medical education. Many of the subjects that medical students learn are attributed to this curriculum. So far several definitions have been presented for the hidden curriculum, which on the one hand made this concept richer, and on the other hand, led to confusion and ambiguity.This paper tries to provide a clear and comprehensive definition of it.Methods: In this study, concept analysis of McKenna method was used. Using keywords and searching in the databases, 561 English and 26 Persian references related to the concept was found, then by limitingthe research scope, 125 abstracts and by finding more relevant references, 55 articles were fully studied.Results: After analyzing the definitions by McKenna method, the hidden curriculum is defined as follows: The hidden curriculum is a hidden, powerful, intrinsic in organizational structure and culture and sometimes contradictory message, conveyed implicitly and tacitly in the learning environment by structural and human factors and its contents includes cultural habits and customs, norms, values, belief systems, attitudes, skills, desires and behavioral and social expectations can have a positive or negative effect, unplanned, neither planners nor teachers, nor learners are aware of it. The ultimate consequence of the hidden curriculum includes reproducing the existing class structure, socialization, and familiarizing learners for transmission and joining the professional world.Conclusion: Based on the concept analysis, we arrived at an analytical definition of the hidden curriculum that could be useful for further studies in this area.Keywords: CONCEPT ANALYSIS, HIDDEN CURRICULUM, MCKENNA’S METHOD

  7. Matching Intended And Actual French Curriculum Objectives In ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Intended French curriculum objectives refer to four official objectives of teaching and learning French in secondary schools in Kenya as laid down in syllabuses; namely, to equip learners with basic communicative skills, give learners access to oral and written materials, facilitate further studies, and promote global peace ...

  8. Locally-Based Enterprise Training To Improve The Economic Empowerment Of The Learners Of Independent Enterprise Literacy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dayat Hidayat

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Entrepreneurial skills of learners of Independent Enterprise Literacy at Community Learning Center (CLC Harapan Karawang Regency in developing locally-based enterprise, is still low. This study is aimed to analyze the planning, the implementation, the outcome, and the impact of locally-based enterprise training on improving the economic empowerment of the learners of Independent Enterprise Literacy. The approach uses in this study is a qualitative case study method. The subjects consist of four learners, a trainer, and an administrator of CLC. The data are obtained through the observation, in-depth interview, and documentation analysis. The data analysis involves the following stages: data collection, data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification. The locally-based enterprise training is designed through proper planning with the identification of learner needs, formulating objectives and preparing training curriculum that meets the needs and characteristics of the learners. The implementation of the training is conducted properly in accordance with a predetermined plan. The results of training assessment show an increase of knowledge, attitudes and behavior of learners’ entrepreneurial skills. The enterprise training gives impact and influence to increase the learners’ economic empowerment proved by the increasing income and wider business opportunities.

  9. The adult learner: is it necessary to understand for teaching in anesthesiology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaiser, Robert R

    2010-01-01

    Educators came to realize what internists and pediatricians have known all along: adults and children are not the same. They differ in physiology, pharmacology, and learning. To approach teaching of the adult learner as one would a child is likely to fail. To effectively design and execute a curriculum for the adult, the teacher must consider the role of personal experience, learning preparedness, learning orientation, and motivation to learn. Although these principles may seem novel, they represent good judgment when teaching the adult. The key factor for the educator is to determine the needs of the adult (which is typically based upon personal experience) and then design and implement a curriculum based upon these needs. This approach is backward from the approach used in children in which the curriculum is established without any input from the learner. One other means to improve success is to foster personal reflection upon the teaching by the adult learner. This reflection may develop from carefully phrased questions, from activities in applying the knowledge, or from within the learner. By helping the learner to reflect, the true goals of the teaching may be achieved and the teacher is rewarded by having a more knowledgeable provider, who is able to use and to question the new knowledge. The cycle of adult learning is completed but also starts again.

  10. Journey through Transformation: A Case Study of Two Literacy Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duckworth, Vicky; Ade-Ojo, Gordon O.

    2016-01-01

    The study draws on life history, literacy studies, and ethnographic approaches to exploring social practices as a frame to explore the narratives of two UK adult literacy learners who provide a description of their engagement with a transformative curriculum and pedagogical approach. One of the learners reveals his frustration at the lack of…

  11. Materiality and discourse in school curriculum

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Valero, Paola

    2013-01-01

    We bring contemporary theoretical approaches to bear on the question of the relationship between the material and the discursive in curriculum studies when researching the effects of power of the school curriculum in generating the inclusion/exclusion of learners. We argue for the need to bring...... of intellectual, social, and economic poverty are organized in the curriculum. Our focus on school mathematics is essential, since this is a curricular area that is seldom approached as a field of cultural politics....

  12. Nurturing gifted learners in Mainland China

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shi, Jiannong; Zhang, X.; Chen, N.

    2013-01-01

    -socio-intellectual model, illustrated the nature of human being and the nature of gifted learners. From the perspective of the BSI model, the authors suggested three aspects are very critical to curriculum design to meet the needs of gifted education: physical maturation or physical development, social maturation......In this article, based on the previous researches on the development of gifted learners, the authors summarized the problems in nurturing gifted learners due to lacking of the appropriate educational philosophy and educational methodology in Mainland China. The authors proposed the Bio...... or social and interpersonal development, and mental maturation or intellectual development. It was proved that BSI model has its theoretical rationality and practical validity in Mainland China...

  13. Foundations in the South African senior phase curriculum for ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The entrepreneurship education embedded in Consumer Studies can contribute positively to the lives of South African learners. However, this subject is only offered in the final phase of learners' education in the South African school curriculum. From a constructivist viewpoint, this is undesirable since appropriate prior ...

  14. Building a strong geoscience department by emphasizing curriculum and pedagogy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lea, P. D.; Beane, R. J.; Laine, E. P.

    2005-12-01

    About a decade ago the Bowdoin College Geology Department recognized a need for a new curriculum that more fully engaged majors and non-majors as active learners. To accomplish this curricular change the faculty have adopted differing pedagogies that all engage students in real projects. Research project-based learning, community-based learning, and problem-based service-learning form the core of our teaching efforts. The emphasis on problem-solving and inquiry in our courses has greatly strengthened our department's contributions to research, education, and service at the college. These courses have an added benefit of acquainting students with various aspects of their local and global environment. Geology majors leave Bowdoin equipped with tools and experiences they need for employment or graduate school as well life-long learners. To support the integration of research into our teaching we have successfully sought funding from NSF's CCLI and MRI programs. As a consequence, even first year students work with an SEM/EDAX/EBSD, with instrumented watersheds, and soon with an ocean observatory adjacent to our Coastal Studies Center, as well as taking greater advantage of local field opportunities. Our intense focus on improving curriculum and pedagogy organized and energized us within the department and helped us to present ourselves and our goals to the college.

  15. (ReClaiming Voices: Digital Storytelling and Second Language Learners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grigsby Yurimi

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available With almost five million English language learners in the United States, digital storytelling is increasingly being used in second language learning classrooms. As a teaching and learning strategy, digital storytelling can promote critical thinking, connect new content with prior knowledge, enhance memory, and foster confidence and motivation for learning. Digital stories possess unique narrative qualities that often center on identity negotiation and the ways culturally and linguistically diverse students make meaning out of their lives. Fostering hands-on, active learning, digital storytelling is an interactive way to include culturally and linguistically diverse students’ voices in a curriculum that may not easily represent them. Practical implementation of digital storytelling is included.

  16. Advanced Heritage Learners of Spanish: A Sociolinguistic Profile for Pedagogical Purposes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alarcon, Irma

    2010-01-01

    This article reports on an extensive survey administered to advanced heritage language (HL) learners to examine their language behaviors, attitudes, and backgrounds. To date, there have been no detailed categorizations of advanced HL learners to guide classroom instruction and curriculum design. Thus the present study is a first attempt to fill…

  17. Strategies for Improving Learner Metacognition in Health Professional Education

    OpenAIRE

    Medina, Melissa S.; Castleberry, Ashley N.; Persky, Adam M.

    2017-01-01

    Metacognition is an essential skill in critical thinking and self-regulated, lifelong learning. It is important for learners to have skills in metacognition because they are used to monitor and regulate reasoning, comprehension, and problem-solving, which are fundamental components/outcomes of pharmacy curricula. Instructors can help learners develop metacognitive skills within the classroom and experiential setting by carefully designing learning activities within courses and the curriculum....

  18. Breaking the Cycle: Future Faculty Begin Teaching with Learner-Centered Strategies after Professional Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebert-May, Diane; Derting, Terry L.; Henkel, Timothy P.; Middlemis Maher, Jessica; Momsen, Jennifer L.; Arnold, Bryan; Passmore, Heather A.

    2015-01-01

    The availability of reliable evidence for teaching practices after professional development is limited across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines, making the identification of professional development “best practices” and effective models for change difficult. We aimed to determine the extent to which postdoctoral fellows (i.e., future biology faculty) believed in and implemented evidence-based pedagogies after completion of a 2-yr professional development program, Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching (FIRST IV). Postdocs (PDs) attended a 2-yr training program during which they completed self-report assessments of their beliefs about teaching and gains in pedagogical knowledge and experience, and they provided copies of class assessments and video recordings of their teaching. The PDs reported greater use of learner-centered compared with teacher-centered strategies. These data were consistent with the results of expert reviews of teaching videos. The majority of PDs (86%) received video ratings that documented active engagement of students and implementation of learner-centered classrooms. Despite practice of higher-level cognition in class sessions, the items used by the PDs on their assessments of learning focused on lower-level cognitive skills. We attributed the high success of the FIRST IV program to our focus on inexperienced teachers, an iterative process of teaching practice and reflection, and development of and teaching a full course. PMID:26033870

  19. Using Technological Advances to Improve Surgery Curriculum: Experience With a Mobile Application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, Courtney A; Kim, Edward H; O'Sullivan, Patricia S; Chern, Hueylan

    2018-01-31

    Our previous home-video basic surgical skills curriculum required substantial faculty time and resources, and was limited by delayed feedback and technical difficulties. Consequently, we integrated that curriculum with a mobile application platform. Our purpose is to describe this application and learner satisfaction. The mobile platform incorporates a patented pedagogical design based on Ericsson's deliberate practice and Bandura's social learning theory. Instructors built step-wise skills modules. During the challenge phase, learners watched a video of surgical tasks completed by experts and uploaded a video of themselves performing the same task. In the Peer Review phase, they used a grading rubric to provide feedback. In the Recap stage, learners received individual feedback and could review their own videos. Two groups of learners, graduating medical students and matriculating surgical residents, participated in this independent learning platform, along with 2 to 4 laboratory sessions, and completed a survey about their experience. Survey responses were summarized descriptively and comments analyzed using content analysis. Fifty learners submitted videos of assigned tasks and completed peer reviews. Learners reported positive experiences specifically for the Peer Review Stage, structured home practice, ease of mobile access to submit and review videos, and ongoing immediate feedback. Over half of the learners reported spending at least 10 to 30 minute practicing skills before recording their videos and over 80% rerecorded at least 2 times before submission. Content analysis revealed learners engaged with the educational concepts designed into the platform. Learners easily used and were satisfied with a mobile-technology teaching platform that maintained the fundamental content, educational theories, and organizational structure of our previously effective surgical skills curriculum. Prior challenges were directly addressed through the mobile application's ease

  20. Meeting the Needs of Chinese English Language Learners at Writing Centers in America: A Proposed Culturally Responsive Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Peizhen; Machado, Crystal

    2015-01-01

    This paper describes the ways in which Writing Centers (WC) currently serve English Language Learners (ELL) at American universities. The authors argue that the pedagogy offered at these centers does not always meet the needs of the Chinese ELLs who make up the largest population of ELLs at American universities. The proposed supplemental model…

  1. A Case Study Documenting the Process by Which Biology Instructors Transition from Teacher-Centered to Learner-Centered Teaching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marbach-Ad, Gili; Hunt Rietschel, Carly

    2016-01-01

    In this study, we used a case study approach to obtain an in-depth understanding of the change process of two university instructors who were involved with redesigning a biology course. Given the hesitancy of many biology instructors to adopt evidence-based, learner-centered teaching methods, there is a critical need to understand how biology instructors transition from teacher-centered (i.e., lecture-based) instruction to teaching that focuses on the students. Using the innovation-decision model for change, we explored the motivation, decision-making, and reflective processes of the two instructors through two consecutive, large-enrollment biology course offerings. Our data reveal that the change process is somewhat unpredictable, requiring patience and persistence during inevitable challenges that arise for instructors and students. For example, the change process requires instructors to adopt a teacher-facilitator role as opposed to an expert role, to cover fewer course topics in greater depth, and to give students a degree of control over their own learning. Students must adjust to taking responsibility for their own learning, working collaboratively, and relinquishing the anonymity afforded by lecture-based teaching. We suggest implications for instructors wishing to change their teaching and administrators wishing to encourage adoption of learner-centered teaching at their institutions. © 2016 G. Marbach-Ad and C. H. Rietschel. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

  2. Metaliteracy as Pedagogical Framework for Learner-Centered Design in Three MOOC Platforms: Connectivist, Coursera and Canvas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kelsey L. O'Brien

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This article examines metaliteracy as a pedagogical model that leverages the assets of MOOC platforms to enhance self-regulated and self-empowered learning. Between 2013 and 2015, a collaborative teaching team within the State University of New York (SUNY developed three MOOCs on three different platforms—connectivist, Coursera and Canvas—to engage with learners about metaliteracy. As a reframing of information literacy, metaliteracy envisions the learner as an active and metacognitive producer of digital information in online communities and social media environments (Mackey & Jacobson, 2011; 2014. This team of educators, which constitutes the core of the Metaliteracy Learning Collaborative, used metaliteracy as a lens for applied teaching and learning strategies in the development of a cMOOC and two xMOOCs. The metaliteracy MOOCs pushed against the dominant trends of lecture-based, automated MOOC design towards a more learner-centered pedagogy that aligns with key components of metaliteracy.

  3. A Visualisation-Based Semiotic Analysis of Learners' Conceptual Understanding of Graphical Functional Relationships

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mudaly, Vimolan

    2014-01-01

    Within the South African school curriculum, the section on graphical functional relationships consists of signs which include symbols, notation and imagery. In a previous article we explored the role visualisation played in the way learners understood mathematical concepts. That paper reported on the learners' fixation with the physical features…

  4. Solving the Curriculum Sequencing Problem with DNA Computing Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Debbah, Amina; Ben Ali, Yamina Mohamed

    2014-01-01

    In the e-learning systems, a learning path is known as a sequence of learning materials linked to each others to help learners achieving their learning goals. As it is impossible to have the same learning path that suits different learners, the Curriculum Sequencing problem (CS) consists of the generation of a personalized learning path for each…

  5. Volunteer educators bring their own ideas about effective teaching to a 4-H curriculum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steven Worker

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Youth programs implemented during out-of-school time often rely on volunteers. These volunteers are responsible for selecting and adapting curriculum and facilitating activities, so their pedagogical practices become primary contributors to program quality, and ultimately, youth outcomes. To describe volunteers' pedagogical practices, I conducted a qualitative case study at three sites where volunteer educators were implementing a design-based 4-H curriculum. The curriculum advanced youth scientific literacy by supporting scientific inquiry in conjunction with planning, designing and making shareable artifacts. Through detailed observations, videos and focus groups, I identified six common pedagogical practices, though educators differed widely in which ones they used. Pragmatic and structural constraints shaped their choices, as did their professional identification as engineers, or not, and their relative comfort with engineering. To support volunteer educators in implementing a learner-centered educational program, curricula designers might be more specific in recommending and explaining pedagogical practices, and program managers might better train volunteer educators in those preferred practices.

  6. A career exploration programme for learners with special educational needs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Niekerk, Matty

    2007-01-01

    Learners with disabilities lag far behind their peers without disabilities in achievement, graduation rates, post-school education and employment outcomes [4]. Against the current state of education affairs in South Africa, where curriculum models for learners with special educational needs (LSEN) are still under revision, therapists and teachers are finding it difficult to prepare these learners for appropriate employment after school. Even where systems in education are established, persons with learning disabilities face more challenges to enter employment [5]. This article reports on a unique career exploration programme for grade 11 learners at a school for learners with special educational needs in Gauteng, South Africa. It is a collaborative strategy between the learners, their parents, a teacher and the occupational therapists at the school. Two case studies are described to indicate the success of the program.

  7. The value of health professions education: the importance of understanding the learner perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandars, John; Walsh, Kieran

    2016-07-01

    The value of health professions education (HPE), with increasing demand for value resultant on financial constraint, has come under increasing scrutiny. An essential aspect for critical consideration is the extent to which the value ascribed by the learner differs from that of the HPE provider, especially in relation to the learning Methods and assessment of the HPE curriculum. The challenge of reconciling the tensions and differing perspectives of the learners and HPE providers can be met through co-production of the curriculum. The focus of the co-production approach is the recognition of the importance of diversity and social justice.

  8. Georgia science curriculum alignment and accountability: A blueprint for student success

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reining-Gray, Kimberly M.

    Current trends and legislation in education indicate an increased dependency on standardized test results as a measure for learner success. This study analyzed test data in an effort to assess the impact of curriculum alignment on learner success as well as teacher perceptions of the changes in classroom instruction due to curriculum alignment. Qualitative and quantitative design methods were used to determine the impact of science curriculum alignment in grades 9-12. To determine the impact of science curriculum alignment from the Quality Core Curriculum (QCC) to the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) test data and teacher opinion surveys from one Georgia School system were examined. Standardized test scores before and after curriculum alignment were analyzed as well as teacher perception survey data regarding the impact of curriculum change. A quantitative teacher perception survey was administered to science teachers in the school system to identify significant changes in teacher perceptions or teaching strategies following curriculum realignment. Responses to the survey were assigned Likert scale values for analysis purposes. Selected teachers were also interviewed using panel-approved questions to further determine teacher opinions of curriculum realignment and the impact on student success and teaching strategies. Results of this study indicate significant changes related to curriculum alignment. Teachers reported a positive change in teaching strategies and instructional delivery as a result of curriculum alignment and implementation. Student scores also showed improvement, but more research is recommended in this area.

  9. Quality indicators for learner-centered postgraduate medical e-learning

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Leeuw, Robert A; Westerman, Michiel; Scheele, Fedde

    2017-01-01

    Objectives: The objectives of this study were to identify the needs and expectations of learners and educational experts in postgraduate medical e-learning, and to contribute to the current literature. Methods: We performed four focus-group discussions with e-learning end-users (learners) and

  10. ICT tools for curriculum development

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    McKenney, Susan; Nieveen, N.M.; van den Akker, J.J.H.; Kuiper, W.J.A.M.; Hameyer, U.

    2003-01-01

    Along with others in this book, this chapter examines a recent trend in curriculum development, namely, employing the computer to support this complex process. Not to be confused with the vast majority of ICT tools for education, which support the teachers and learners more directly, this discussion

  11. Strategies for Improving Learner Metacognition in Health Professional Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medina, Melissa S; Castleberry, Ashley N; Persky, Adam M

    2017-05-01

    Metacognition is an essential skill in critical thinking and self-regulated, lifelong learning. It is important for learners to have skills in metacognition because they are used to monitor and regulate reasoning, comprehension, and problem-solving, which are fundamental components/outcomes of pharmacy curricula. Instructors can help learners develop metacognitive skills within the classroom and experiential setting by carefully designing learning activities within courses and the curriculum. These skills are developed through intentional questioning, modeling techniques, and reflection. This article discusses key background literature on metacognition and identifies specific methods and strategies to develop learners' metacognitive skills in both the classroom and experiential settings.

  12. Integrating health literacy and ESL: an interdisciplinary curriculum for Hispanic immigrants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soto Mas, Francisco; Mein, Erika; Fuentes, Brenda; Thatcher, Barry; Balcázar, Héctor

    2013-03-01

    Adult Hispanic immigrants are at a greater risk of experiencing the negative outcomes related to low health literacy, as they confront cultural and language barriers to the complex and predominately monolingual English-based U.S. health system. One approach that has the potential for simultaneously addressing the health, literacy, and language needs of Hispanics is the combination of health literacy and English as a second language (ESL) instruction. The purpose of the project was to evaluate the feasibility of using ESL instruction as a medium for improving health literacy among Hispanic immigrants. Objectives included the development, implementation, and evaluation of an interdisciplinary health literacy/ESL curriculum that integrates theories of health literacy and health behavior research and practice, sociocultural theories of literacy and communication, and adult learning principles. This article describes the curriculum development process and provides preliminary qualitative data on learners' experiences with the curriculum. Results indicate that the curriculum was attractive to participants and that they were highly satisfied with both the format and content. The curriculum described here represents one example of an audience-centered approach designed to meet the specific health and literacy needs of the Hispanic population on the U.S.-Mexico border. The combination of ESL and health literacy contributed to a perceived positive learning experience among participants. Interdisciplinary approaches to health literacy are recommended.

  13. The rationale for combining an online audiovisual curriculum with simulation to better educate general surgery trainees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    AlJamal, Yazan N; Ali, Shahzad M; Ruparel, Raaj K; Brahmbhatt, Rushin D; Yadav, Siddhant; Farley, David R

    2014-09-01

    Surgery interns' training has historically been weighted toward patient care, operative observation, and sleeping when possible. With more protected free time and less clinical time, real educational hours for trainees in 2013 are precious. We created a 20-session (3 hours each) simulation curriculum (with pre- and post-tests) and a 24/7 online audiovisual (AV) curriculum for surgery interns. Friday morning simulation sessions emphasize operative skills and judgment. AV clips (using operating room, whiteboard, and simulation center videos) take learners through 20 different general surgery operations with follow-up quizzes. We report our early experience with this novel setup. Thirty-two surgical interns (2012-2013) attended simulation sessions on 20 separate subjects (hernia, breast, hepatobiliary, endocrine, etc). Post-test scores improved (P 4.5; Likert scale, 1-5). The AV curriculum feedback is similar (mean, >4.3) and usage is available 24/7 preparing learners for both operating room and simulation sessions. Most simulation sessions utilize low-fidelity models to keep costs <$50 per session. Scores on our semiannual Surgical Olympics (mean score of 49.6 in July vs 82.9 in January; P < .05) improved significantly, suggesting that interns are improving their surgical skills and knowledge. Residents enjoy and learn from the step-by-step, in-house, AV curriculum and both appreciate and thrive on the 'hands-on' simulation sessions mimicking operations they see in real operating rooms. The cost of these programs is not prohibitive and the programs offer simulated repetitions for duty-hour-regulated trainees. Copyright © 2014 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Changing Curriculum: A Critical Inquiry into the Revision of the British Columbia Science Curriculum For Grades K-9

    Science.gov (United States)

    Searchfield, Mary A.

    In 2010 British Columbia's Ministry of Education started the process of redesigning the provincial school curriculum, Kindergarten to Grade 12. Mandatory implementation of the new curriculum was set for the 2016/17 school year for Grades K-9, and 2017/18 for Grades 10-12. With a concerted emphasis on personalized learning and through the frame of a Know-Do-Understand curriculum model, the new curriculum aims to meet the needs of today's learners, described as living in a technology-rich, fast-paced and ever-changing world, through a concept-based and competency-driven emphasis. This thesis is a critical analysis of the BC K-9 Science curriculum as written and published, looking specifically at how science is treated as a form of knowledge, its claimed presentation as a story, and on whether the intentions claimed by the designers are matched in the curriculum's final form.

  15. Novel Emergency Medicine Curriculum Utilizing Self-Directed Learning and the Flipped Classroom Method: Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat Emergencies Small Group Module

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew King

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Audience: This curriculum created and implemented at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center was designed to educate our emergency medicine (EM residents, PGY-1 to PGY-3, as well as medical students and attending physicians. Introduction: Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat (HEENT complaints are very commonly seen in the Emergency Department. Numbers vary as to exact prevalence, but sources show that there are about 2 million annual emergency department (ED visits in the United States for non-traumatic dental problems, representing 1.5% of all ED visits.1 Other sources show that symptoms referable to the throat encompass 2,496,000 visits or 1.9% of total visits.2 Notably, about 8% of the written exam in emergency medicine covers the topic of head and neck complaints, making it the second most tested topic behind cardiovascular.3 Residents must be proficient in the differential diagnosis and management of the wide variety of HEENT emergencies. The flipped classroom curricular model emphasizes self-directed learning activities completed by learners, followed by small group discussions pertaining to the topic reviewed. The active learning fostered by this curriculum increases faculty and learner engagement and interaction time typically absent in traditional lecture-based formats.4-6 Studies have revealed that the application of knowledge through case studies, personal interaction with content experts, and integrated questions are effective learning strategies for emergency medicine residents.6-8 The Ohio State University EM Residency didactic curriculum recently transitioned to a “flipped classroom” approach.9-13 We created this innovative curriculum aimed to improve our residency education program and to share educational resources with other EM residency programs. Our curriculum utilizes an 18-month curricular cycle to cover the defined emergency medicine content. The flipped classroom curriculum maximizes didactic time and resident

  16. Curriculum Design and Evaluation: An Employer-Centered Action Approach. AIR Forum 1980 Paper.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehallis, Mantha Vlahos

    The development and validation of an employer-centered action system for curriculum development and evaluation are described. The system used a descriptive/action research design whereby a research team interviewed all major employers in Broward County Florida in a two-year period. Results of an employer needs assessment and task analyses were…

  17. A Case Study of Key Stakeholders' Perceptions of the Learning Center's Effectiveness for English Learners at a District in Central California

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nava, Norma Leticia

    2016-01-01

    This qualitative study explored stakeholders' (administrators, teachers, and parents) perspectives of English learners in the learning center, a response to intervention model, at a school district in Central California. Research existed concerning the yearly academic growth of students in a learning center, but there was a lack of knowledge about…

  18. Self-Reported Emergency Medicine Residency Applicant Attitudes Towards a Procedural Cadaver Laboratory Curriculum

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    Hoffman, Lance

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Residency applicants consider a variety of factors when ranking emergency medicine (EM programs for their NRMP match list. A human cadaver emergency procedure lab curriculum is uncommon. We hypothesized that the presence this curriculum would positively impact the ranking of an EM residency program.METHODS: The EM residency at Nebraska Medical Center is an urban, university-based program with a PGY I-III format. Residency applicants during the interview for a position in the PGY I class of 2006 were surveyed by three weekly electronic mailings. The survey was distributed in March 2006 after the final NRMP match results were released. The survey explored learner preferences and methodological commonality of models of emergency procedural training, as well as the impact of a procedural cadaver lab curriculum on residency ranking. ANOVA of ranks was used to compare responses to ranking questions.RESULTS: Of the 73 potential subjects, 54 (74% completed the survey. Respondents ranked methods of procedural instruction from 1 (most preferred or most common technique to 4 (least preferred or least common technique. Response averages and 95% confidence intervals for the preferred means of learning a new procedure are as follows: textbook (3.69; 3.51-3.87, mannequin (2.83; 2.64-3.02, human cadaver (1.93; 1.72-2.14, and living patient (1.56; 1.33-1.79. Response averages for the commonality of means used to teach a new procedure are as follows: human cadaver (3.63; 3.46-3.80, mannequin (2.70; 2.50-2.90, living patient (2.09; 1.85-2.33, and textbook (1.57; 1.32-1.82. When asked if the University of Nebraska Medical Center residency ranked higher in the individual's match list because of its procedural cadaver lab, 14.8% strongly disagreed, 14.8% disagreed, 40.7% were neutral, 14.8% agreed, and 14.8% strongly agreed.CONCLUSION: We conclude that, although cadaveric procedural training is viewed by senior medical student learners as a desirable means

  19. The Effects of Open Enrollment, Curriculum Alignment, and Data-Driven Instruction on the Test Performance of English Language Learners (ELLs) and Re-Designated Fluent English Proficient Students (RFEPs) at Shangri-La High School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miles, Eva

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of open enrollment, curriculum alignment, and data-driven instruction on the test performance of English Language Learners (ELLs) and Re-designated Fluent English Proficient students (RFEPs) at Shangri-la High School. Participants of this study consisted of the student population enrolled in…

  20. Using just-in-time teaching and peer instruction in a residency program's core curriculum: enhancing satisfaction, engagement, and retention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schuller, Mary C; DaRosa, Debra A; Crandall, Marie L

    2015-03-01

    To assess use of the combined just-in-time teaching (JiTT) and peer instruction (PI) instructional strategy in a residency program's core curriculum. In 2010-2011, JiTT/PI was piloted in 31 core curriculum sessions taught by 22 faculty in the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine's general surgery residency program. JiTT/PI required preliminary and categorical residents (n=31) to complete Web-based study questions before weekly specialty topic sessions. Responses were examined by faculty members "just in time" to tailor session content to residents' learning needs. In the sessions, residents answered multiple-choice questions (MCQs) using clickers and engaged in PI. Participants completed surveys assessing their perceptions of JiTT/PI. Videos were coded to assess resident engagement time in JiTT/PI sessions versus prior lecture-based sessions. Responses to topic session MCQs repeated in review sessions were evaluated to study retention. More than 70% of resident survey respondents indicated that JiTT/PI aided in the learning of key points. At least 90% of faculty survey respondents reported positive perceptions of aspects of the JiTT/PI strategy. Resident engagement time for JiTT/PI sessions was significantly greater than for prior lecture-based sessions (z=-2.4, P=.016). Significantly more review session MCQ responses were correct for residents who had attended corresponding JiTT/PI sessions than for residents who had not (chi-square=13.7; df=1; P<.001). JiTT/PI increased learner participation, learner retention, and the amount of learner-centered time. JiTT/PI represents an effective approach for meaningful and active learning in core curriculum sessions.

  1. Resident learning across the full range of core competencies through a transitions of care curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pavon, Juliessa M; Pinheiro, Sandro O; Buhr, Gwendolen T

    2018-01-01

    The authors developed a Transitions of Care (TOC) curriculum to teach and measure learner competence in performing TOC tasks for older adults. Internal medicine interns at an academic residency program received the curriculum, which consisted of experiential learning, self-study, and small group discussion. Interns completed retrospective pre/post surveys rating their confidence in performing five TOC tasks, qualitative open-ended survey questions, and a self-reflection essay. A subset of interns also completed follow-up assessments. For all five TOC tasks, the interns' confidence improved following completion of the TOC curriculum. Self-confidence persisted for up to 3 months later for some but not all tasks. According to the qualitative responses, the TOC curriculum provided interns with learning experiences and skills integral to performing safe care transitions. The TOC curriculum and a mixed-method assessment approach effectively teaches and measures learner competency in TOC across all six Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competency domains.

  2. Curriculum Design and Implementation of the Emergency Medicine Chief Resident Incubator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gisondi, Michael A; Chou, Adaira; Joshi, Nikita; Sheehy, Margaret K; Zaver, Fareen; Chan, Teresa M; Riddell, Jeffrey; Sifford, Derek P; Lin, Michelle

    2018-02-24

    Background Chief residents receive minimal formal training in preparation for their administrative responsibilities. There is a lack of professional development programs specifically designed for chief residents. Objective In 2015, Academic Life in Emergency Medicine designed and implemented an annual, year-long, training program and virtual community of practice for chief residents in emergency medicine (EM). This study describes the curriculum design process and reports measures of learner engagement during the first two cycles of the curriculum. Methods Kern's Six-Step Approach for curriculum development informed key decisions in the design and implementation of the Chief Resident Incubator. The resultant curriculum was created using constructivist social learning theory, with specific objectives that emphasized the needs for a virtual community of practice, longitudinal content delivery, mentorship for participants, and the facilitation of multicenter digital scholarship. The 12-month curriculum included 11 key administrative or professional development domains, delivered using a combination of digital communications platforms. Primary outcomes measures included markers of learner engagement with the online curriculum, recognized as modified Kirkpatrick Level One outcomes for digital learning. Results An average of 206 chief residents annually enrolled in the first two years of the curriculum, with an overall participation by 33% (75/227) of the allopathic EM residency programs in the United States (U.S.). There was a high level of learner engagement, with an average 13,414 messages posted per year. There were also 42 small group teaching sessions held online, which included 39 faculty and 149 chief residents. The monthly e-newsletter had a 50.7% open rate. Digital scholarship totaled 23 online publications in two years, with 67 chief resident co-authors and 21 faculty co-authors. Conclusions The Chief Resident Incubator is a virtual community of practice that

  3. Towards a Multi-Stakeholder-Driven Model for Excellence in Higher Education Curriculum Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, M. H.; Bushney, M. J.

    2008-01-01

    A multi-stakeholder-driven model for excellence in higher education curriculum development has been developed. It is based on the assumption that current efforts to curriculum development take place within a framework of limited stakeholder consultation. A total of 18 multiple stakeholders are identified, including learners, alumni, government,…

  4. The role of a critical ethnomathematics curriculum in transforming and empowering learners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nirmala Naresh

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available When thinking about mathematics, seldom does one think about culture, context, history, or diversity. Many teachers believe that there is no place for such constructs in their mathematics classrooms. As an ethnomathematician, my primary goal is to find meaningful ways to bring components of ethnomathematics into the mainstream mathematics curriculum and classrooms. In this paper, I describe key aspects of a mathematics curriculum that was designed to promote meaningful connections between ethnomathematics theory and practice and highlight how this curriculum might help address the key tenets of a critical ethnomathematics curriculum.

  5. Development and evaluation of a learner-centered educational summer camp program on soft skills for baccalaureate nursing students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lau, Ying; Wang, Wenru

    2014-01-01

    The objectives were to develop a learner-centered educational camp program for nursing students and to evaluate 4 areas of soft skills, communication ability, clinical interaction, interpersonal relationships, and social problem solving, before and after the program. The results showed that the summer camp program was effective in improving nursing students' soft skills.

  6. A Case Study on the Influence of Organizational Structures and Policies on Faculty Implementation of Learner-Centered Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piskadlo, Kevin Scott

    2016-01-01

    In their seminal 1995 article, Barr and Tagg encouraged higher education to think differently about undergraduate education and suggested that a new paradigm be adopted that focused less on what is taught and more on what is learned. Dubbed the learner-centered paradigm, this reframing of education challenges long standing practices and removes…

  7. RSA Opening Minds: A Curriculum for the 21st Century

    Science.gov (United States)

    Candy, Sara

    2011-01-01

    This article discusses the RSA Opening Minds competence framework, an innovative curriculum to meet the needs of young people as future employees, lifelong learners and as citizens of the twenty-first century.

  8. Breaking the cycle: future faculty begin teaching with learner-centered strategies after professional development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebert-May, Diane; Derting, Terry L; Henkel, Timothy P; Middlemis Maher, Jessica; Momsen, Jennifer L; Arnold, Bryan; Passmore, Heather A

    2015-01-01

    The availability of reliable evidence for teaching practices after professional development is limited across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines, making the identification of professional development "best practices" and effective models for change difficult. We aimed to determine the extent to which postdoctoral fellows (i.e., future biology faculty) believed in and implemented evidence-based pedagogies after completion of a 2-yr professional development program, Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching (FIRST IV). Postdocs (PDs) attended a 2-yr training program during which they completed self-report assessments of their beliefs about teaching and gains in pedagogical knowledge and experience, and they provided copies of class assessments and video recordings of their teaching. The PDs reported greater use of learner-centered compared with teacher-centered strategies. These data were consistent with the results of expert reviews of teaching videos. The majority of PDs (86%) received video ratings that documented active engagement of students and implementation of learner-centered classrooms. Despite practice of higher-level cognition in class sessions, the items used by the PDs on their assessments of learning focused on lower-level cognitive skills. We attributed the high success of the FIRST IV program to our focus on inexperienced teachers, an iterative process of teaching practice and reflection, and development of and teaching a full course. © 2015 D. Ebert-May et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

  9. A Quantitative Causal-Comparative Nonexperimental Research Study of English Language Learner and Non-English Language Learner Students' Oral Reading Fluency Growth

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Loughlin, Tricia Ann

    2017-01-01

    Beginning learners of English progress through the same stages to acquire language. However, the length of time each student spends at a particular stage may vary greatly. Under the current educational policies, ELL students are expected to participate in the general education curriculum while developing their proficiency in the English language.…

  10. Teachers’ dialogue in a learner centered professional development initiative In a us urban high school

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leticia Alvarez Gutiérrez

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Using paradigms emerging from Learner Centered Professional Development (LCPD, dialogic education and Transformative Pedagogical Practices (TPPs, this research study examined pedagogies that ignited a revitalization of shared values as a community of learners, challenged assumptions about learning while invigorating professional identities and cultivating possibilities for transforming praxis of a group of female teachers and female administrators in an urban high school. The LCPD initiative engaged teachers (13 and administrators (3 in dialogue, self-examination, and reflection, while also chipping away dearth perceptions of Latina/o student as learners and nourish possibilities for their successes. The data for this study is part of a larger corpus of data exploring teacher professional development initiatives in a large urban city in the southwestern region of Texas. Narrative analysis was the methodological tool used to code and analyze the data. The authors highlight the pedagogies that served to renew teachers and administrators’ sense of community, professional identities and modifications of teachers’ attitudes and pedagogies regarding themselves and Latina/o students. Our research findings underscore the urgency of educational reform to include on-going LCPD in order to transform and encourage professional enrichment, teacher agency and revive pedagogies that support all students’ academic and social successes.

  11. Quality indicators for learner-centered postgraduate medical e-learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Leeuw, Robert A; Westerman, Michiel; Scheele, Fedde

    2017-04-27

    The objectives of this study were to identify the needs and expectations of learners and educational experts in postgraduate medical e-learning, and to contribute to the current literature. We performed four focus-group discussions with e-learning end-users (learners) and didactic experts. The participants were postgraduate learners with varying levels of experience, educational experts from a Dutch e-learning task group, and commercial experts from a Dutch e-learning company. Verbatim transcribed interview recordings were analyzed using King's template analysis. The initial template was created with reference to recent literature on postgraduate medical e-learning quality indicators. The transcripts were coded, after which the emerging differences in template interpretation were discussed until a consensus was reached within the team. The final template consisted of three domains of positive e-learning influencers (motivators, learning enhancers, and real-world translation) and three domains of negatively influential parameters (barriers, learning discouragers, and poor preparation). The interpretation of the final template showed three subjects which form the basis of e-learning, namely, Motivate, Learn and Apply. This study forms a basis for learning in general and could be applied to many educational instruments. Individual characteristics should be adapted to the target audience. Three subjects form the basis of, and six themes cover all items needed for, good (enough) postgraduate e-learning. Further research should be carried out with learners and real-world e-learning to validate this template.

  12. Integrating neuroscience in the training of psychiatrists: a patient-centered didactic curriculum based on adult learning principles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, David A; Rohrbaugh, Robert

    2014-04-01

    The authors describe the development and implementation of a new adult psychiatry residency didactic curriculum based on adult learning principles and an integrative, patient-centered approach that includes a progressive 4-year neuroscience curriculum. The authors describe the process of conducting a needs assessment, engaging stakeholders and developing guiding principles for the new curriculum. The curriculum was evaluated using qualitative measures, a resident survey, course evaluations, and a pilot version of a specialized assessment tool. Feedback from the resident survey and from course evaluations was positive, and residents indicated interest in receiving additional training in neuroscience. Residents self-reported not incorporating neuroscience into formulation and treatment planning as often as other perspectives. They also reported that neuroscience was reinforced less by clinical faculty than other perspectives. Performance on the curriculum assessment corroborated that clinical application of neuroscience may benefit from additional reinforcement. Residents responded well to the design and content of the new didactic curriculum. The neuroscience component appears to have achieved its primary objective of enhancing attitudes to the field. Continued work including enhancing the culture of neuroscience at the clinical sites may be required to achieve broader behavioral goals.

  13. The Inclusion of Children's Rights and Responsibilities in the South African School Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munongi, Lucia; Pillay, Jace

    2018-01-01

    This study aimed to explore Grade 9 learners' perceptions on the extent to which rights and responsibilities are taught in the school curriculum. The sample consisted of 577 learners from 13 public, independent and independent-subsidised schools, randomly sampled from four Johannesburg education districts. Data were collected through a…

  14. Evaluation of an innovative hands-on anatomy-centered ultrasound curriculum to supplement graduate gross anatomy education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Royer, Danielle F; Kessler, Ross; Stowell, Jeffrey R

    2017-07-01

    Ultrasound (US) can enhance anatomy education, yet is incorporated into few non-medical anatomy programs. This study is the first to evaluate the impact of US training in gross anatomy for non-medical students in the United States. All 32 master's students enrolled in gross anatomy with the anatomy-centered ultrasound (ACUS) curriculum were recruited. Mean Likert ratings on pre- and post-course surveys (100% response rates) were compared to evaluate the effectiveness of the ACUS curriculum in developing US confidence, and gauge its impact on views of US. Post-course, students reported significantly higher (P education and to students' future careers remained positive after the course. End-of-semester quiz performance (91% response rate) provided data on educational outcomes. The average score was 79%, with a 90% average on questions about distinguishing tissues/artifacts, demonstrating positive learning outcomes and retention. The anatomy-centered ultrasound curriculum significantly increased confidence with and knowledge of US among non-medical anatomy students with limited prior training. Non-medical students greatly value the contributions that US makes to anatomy education and to their future careers. It is feasible to enhance anatomy education outside of medical training by incorporating US. Anat Sci Educ 10: 348-362. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.

  15. Educational system factors that engage resident physicians in an integrated quality improvement curriculum at a VA hospital: a realist evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ogrinc, Greg; Ercolano, Ellyn; Cohen, Emily S; Harwood, Beth; Baum, Karyn; van Aalst, Robertus; Jones, Anne C; Davies, Louise

    2014-10-01

    Learning about quality improvement (QI) in resident physician training is often relegated to elective or noncore clinical activities. The authors integrated teaching, learning, and doing QI into the routine clinical work of inpatient internal medicine teams at a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. This study describes the design factors that facilitated and inhibited the integration of a QI curriculum-including real QI work-into the routine work of inpatient internal medicine teams. A realist evaluation framework used three data sources: field notes from QI faculty; semistructured interviews with resident physicians; and a group interview with QI faculty and staff. From April 2011 to July 2012, resident physician teams at the White River Junction VA Medical Center used the Model for Improvement for their QI work and analyzed data using statistical process control charts. Three domains affected the delivery of the QI curriculum and engagement of residents in QI work: setting, learner, and teacher. The constant presence of the QI material on a public space in the team workroom was a facilitating mechanism in the setting. Explicit sign-out of QI work to the next resident team formalized the handoff in the learner domain. QI teachers who were respected clinical leaders with QI expertise provided role modeling and local system knowledge. Integrating QI teaching into the routine clinical and educational systems of an inpatient service is challenging. Identifiable, concrete strategies in the setting, learner, and teacher domains helped integrate QI into the clinical and educational systems.

  16. Developing "Reflective" Development Practitioners through an Action-Learning Curriculum: Problems and Challenges in a South African Context.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luckett, S.; Luckett, K.

    1999-01-01

    A South African university's community development program attempted to integrate Checkland's soft-systems method into Kolb's learning-cycle theory. Evaluation revealed shortcomings in the curriculum design, including the assumption of learner autonomy, necessity of assessing students individually, and difficulty of allowing learners to construct…

  17. Needs Analysis of Business English Undergraduates and the Implications to Business English Curriculum Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Juan

    2014-01-01

    Needs Analysis is a valuable and irreplaceable tool in the curriculum design of Business English courses. It ensures a focused and efficient curriculum design responsive to the learners' needs. This paper analyses the needs of Business English undergraduates and the information obtained may offer some helpful suggestions to the setting of the…

  18. Design of learner-centred constructivism based learning process

    OpenAIRE

    Schreurs, Jeanne; Al-Huneidi, Ahmad

    2012-01-01

    A Learner-centered learning is constructivism based and Competence directed. We define general competencies, domain competencies and specific course competencies. Constructivism based learning activities are based on constructivism theory. For each course module the intended learning level will be defined. A model is built for the design of a learner centered constructivism based and competency directed learning process. The application of it in two courses are presented. Constructivism ba...

  19. Left to their own devices: medical learners' use of mobile technologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellaway, Rachel H; Fink, Patricia; Graves, Lisa; Campbell, Alanna

    2014-02-01

    Although many medical learners and teachers are using mobile technologies within medical education, there has been little evidence presented describing how they use mobile devices across a whole curriculum. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) introduced a new mobile device program in 2010. Incoming undergraduate medical learners received a laptop and an iPad and learners entering year three of the four-year program received a laptop and an iPhone. A survey was sent to all learners to gather information on their use of and attitudes toward these devices. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used to analyze the data and to generate a series of themes that synthesized student behaviors, perceptions and attitudes. Context and learner autonomy were found to be important factors with learners using multiple devices for different purposes and adopting strategic approaches to learning using these devices. The expectation that school-issued devices would be regularly and enthusiastically used to replace more traditional study media was not reflected in practice. Learners' approaches to using mobile devices are heterogeneous as is the extent to which they use them. Learners adapt their use of mobile devices to the learning cultures and contexts they find themselves in.

  20. Children's understanding of area concepts: development, curriculum and educational achievement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bond, Trevor G; Parkinson, Kellie

    2010-01-01

    As one part of a series of studies undertaken to investigate the contribution of developmental attributes of learners to school learning, a representative sample of forty-two students (age from 5 years and 3 months to 13 years and 1 month) was randomly selected from a total student population of 142 students at a small private primary school in northern Australia. Those children's understandings of area concepts taught during the primary school years were assessed by their performance in two testing situations. The first consisted of a written classroom test of ability to solve area problems with items drawn directly from school texts, school examinations and other relevant curriculum documents. The second, which focused more directly on each child's cognitive development, was an individual interview for each child in which four "area" tasks such as the Meadows and Farmhouse Experiment taken from Chapter 11 of The Child's Conception of Geometry (Piaget, Inhelder and Szeminska, 1960, pp. 261-301) were administered. Analysis using the Rasch Partial Credit Model provided a finely detailed quantitative description of the developmental and learning progressions revealed in the data. It is evident that the school mathematics curriculum does not satisfactorily match the learner's developmental sequence at some key points. Moreover, the children's ability to conserve area on the Piagetian tasks, rather than other learner characteristics, such as age and school grade seems to be a precursor for complete success on the mathematical test of area. The discussion focuses on the assessment of developmental (and other) characteristics of school-aged learners and suggests how curriculum and school organization might better capitalize on such information in the design and sequencing of learning experiences for school children. Some features unique to the Rasch family of measurement models are held to have special significance in elucidating the development/attainment nexus.

  1. A Learner-led, Discussion-based Elective on Emerging Infectious Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathias, Clinton

    2015-08-25

    Objective. To implement a learner-led, discussion-based course aimed at exposing second-year pharmacy learners to the study of emerging infectious diseases from a global health perspective and to assess the role and importance of pharmacists in the management of disease outbreaks. Design. Learners examined literature pertinent to an emerging infectious disease in a 3-credit, discussion-based course and participated in peer discussion led by a designated learner. Instructional materials included journal articles, audio-visual presentations, documentaries, book chapters, movies, newspaper/magazine articles, and other materials. Learning outcomes were measured based on the ability of learners to perform critical thinking and analysis, communicate with their peers, and participate in class discussions. Assessment. The course was offered to 2 consecutive cohorts consisting of 14 and 16 learners, respectively. Overall, every learner in the first cohort achieved a final grade of A for the course. In the second cohort, the overall grade distribution consisted of grades of A, B, and C for the course. Learner evaluations indicated that the active-learning, discussion-based environment significantly enhanced interest in the topic and overall performance in the course. Conclusion. The elective course on emerging infectious diseases provided in-depth exposure to disease topics normally not encountered in the pharmacy curriculum. Learners found the material and format valuable, and the course enhanced their appreciation of infectious diseases, research methodology, critical thinking and analysis, and their roles as pharmacists.

  2. Multidimensional Learner Model In Intelligent Learning System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deliyska, B.; Rozeva, A.

    2009-11-01

    The learner model in an intelligent learning system (ILS) has to ensure the personalization (individualization) and the adaptability of e-learning in an online learner-centered environment. ILS is a distributed e-learning system whose modules can be independent and located in different nodes (servers) on the Web. This kind of e-learning is achieved through the resources of the Semantic Web and is designed and developed around a course, group of courses or specialty. An essential part of ILS is learner model database which contains structured data about learner profile and temporal status in the learning process of one or more courses. In the paper a learner model position in ILS is considered and a relational database is designed from learner's domain ontology. Multidimensional modeling agent for the source database is designed and resultant learner data cube is presented. Agent's modules are proposed with corresponding algorithms and procedures. Multidimensional (OLAP) analysis guidelines on the resultant learner module for designing dynamic learning strategy have been highlighted.

  3. Strategies for Improving Learner Metacognition in Health Professional Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medina, Melissa S.; Castleberry, Ashley N.

    2017-01-01

    Metacognition is an essential skill in critical thinking and self-regulated, lifelong learning. It is important for learners to have skills in metacognition because they are used to monitor and regulate reasoning, comprehension, and problem-solving, which are fundamental components/outcomes of pharmacy curricula. Instructors can help learners develop metacognitive skills within the classroom and experiential setting by carefully designing learning activities within courses and the curriculum. These skills are developed through intentional questioning, modeling techniques, and reflection. This article discusses key background literature on metacognition and identifies specific methods and strategies to develop learners’ metacognitive skills in both the classroom and experiential settings. PMID:28630519

  4. The correlation between motor proficiency and physical activity in Senior Phase learners in the Potchefstroom area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lizl-Louise van Niekerk

    2016-12-01

    Conclusion: The motor skills of Senior Phase learners, especially coordination and strength skills, should be developed and maintained in the Physical Education curriculum to enhance physical activity levels.

  5. Trusting early learners with critical professional activities through emergency medical technician certification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brenner, Judith; Bird, Jeffrey; Ginzburg, Samara B; Kwiatkowski, Thomas; Papasodero, Vincent; Rennie, William; Schlegel, Elisabeth; Ten Cate, Olle; Willey, Joanne M

    2018-03-08

    Two dominant themes face medical education: developing integrated curricula and improving the undergraduate medical education (UME) to graduate medical education (GME) transition. An innovative solution to both of these challenges at the Zucker School of Medicine has been the application of the cognitive apprenticeship framework in requiring emergency medical technician (EMT) certification during the first course in medical school as the core on which to build an integrated curriculum and provide entrustable clinical skills. Beginning with the Class of 2011, student feedback about the short-term impact of the experience was collected annually. In addition, perceptions of near graduates and alumni were surveyed in 2017 to explore the long-term impact of the experience. Theme analysis was conducted via inductive coding. Both first-year and more experienced learners report the value of the EMT curriculum as an integrated component of the first course of medical school. Reported positive long-term impacts included the first-hand observation of social determinants of health and interprofessionalism. Negative comments by early learners focused on course logistics, whereas older learners recalled the variability of clinical experiences during ambulance runs. The integration of the EMT curriculum as a core component of the first course serves multiple purposes: 1) it provides the foundation of a spiral learning approach; 2) it contextualizes the basic sciences within clinical practice; 3) it provides opportunities for students to engage in authentic clinical activities under the guidance of mentors; 4) it introduces students to the interdisciplinary nature of medicine; and 5) it serves as the first entrustable professional activity (EPA) for our students.

  6. Learner-centered teaching in the college science classroom: a practical guide for teaching assistants, instructors, and professors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dominguez, Margaret Z.; Vorndran, Shelby

    2014-09-01

    The Office of Instruction and Assessment at the University of Arizona currently offers a Certificate in College Teaching Program. The objective of this program is to develop the competencies necessary to teach effectively in higher education today, with an emphasis on learner-centered teaching. This type of teaching methodology has repeatedly shown to have superior effects compared to traditional teacher-centered approaches. The success of this approach has been proven in both short term and long term teaching scenarios. Students must actively participate in class, which allows for the development of depth of understanding, acquisition of critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. As optical science graduate students completing the teaching program certificate, we taught a recitation class for OPTI 370: Photonics and Lasers for two consecutive years. The recitation was an optional 1-hour long session to supplement the course lectures. This recitation received positive feedback and learner-centered teaching was shown to be a successful method for engaging students in science, specifically in optical sciences following an inquiry driven format. This paper is intended as a guide for interactive, multifaceted teaching, due to the fact that there are a variety of learning styles found in every classroom. The techniques outlined can be implemented in many formats: a full course, recitation session, office hours and tutoring. This guide is practical and includes only the most effective and efficient strategies learned while also addressing the challenges faced, such as formulating engaging questions, using wait time and encouraging shy students.

  7. The Effect of Layered Curriculum on Reflective Thinking and on Self-Directed Learning Readiness of Prospective Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gencel, Ilke Evin; Saracaloglu, A. Seda

    2018-01-01

    Teachers are important role models for pupils. They should be reflective practitioners and self-directed learners. Teacher training process should promote being a reflective thinker and a self-directed learner. Curriculum should be designed in accordance with constructivism. The aim of this research is to investigate effects of layered curriculum…

  8. How do e-book readers enhance learning opportunities for distance work-based learners?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabi Witthaus

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available We report on the incorporation of e-book readers into the delivery of two distance-taught master's programmes in Occupational Psychology (OP and one in Education at the University of Leicester, UK. The programmes attract work-based practitioners in OP and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, respectively. Challenges in curriculum delivery included the need for more flexibility in the curricula, better access to essential readings and maximising the benefit of learners' limited study time. As part of a suite of pilot changes to curriculum design and delivery, 28 Sony PRS-505™ e-book readers were pre-loaded with course materials and sent out to students. The evidence suggests that the students' learning experiences improved as a result of four key benefits afforded by the e-book readers: enhanced flexibility in curriculum delivery to accommodate the mobile lifestyle of our learners, improved efficiency in the use of study time, especially short breaks during the working day, new strategies for reading course materials and cost. We discuss the opportunities and limitations associated with the e-book readers used and the challenges encountered in the study.

  9. Language, the Learner and the School. Penguin Papers in Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnes, Douglas

    This book is concerned with language as it is used by the teacher, as it affects the learner, and as it can function to integrate the curriculum. Douglas Barnes, in "Language in the Secondary Classroom," discusses the student-teacher language interaction in 12 sample lessons, and analyzes the importance upon student learning of the languages used…

  10. Problem based learning (PBL) vs. Case based curriculum in clinical clerkship, Internal Medicine innovated Curriculum, Student prospective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aljarallah, Badr; Hassan, Mohammad Saleh

    2015-04-01

    The vast majority of PBL experience is in basic science courses. Application of classic Problem based learning in clerkship phase is challenging. Although the clinical case is considered a problem, yet solving this problem following the burrow's law has faced hurdles. The difficulties are facing the learner, the teacher and curricula. We implement innovative curriculum for the clerkship year in internal medicine course. We surveyed the student just before coming to an internal medicine course to ask them about continuing PBL or other types of learning in clinical years. A committee was created to study the possible ways to integrate PBL in the course. After multiple brainstorming meeting, an innovated curriculum was implemented. Student surveyed again after they completed their course. The survey is asking them about what is the effect of the implemented curriculum in their skills, attitude, and knowledge. 70% of Students, who finished their basic science in PBL, preferred not to have classical PBL, but more a clinical oriented case based curriculum in the clinical years. After this innovated curriculum, 50-60 % of students who completed it showed a positive response in all aspects of effects including skill, attitude, and knowledge. The Innovated curriculum includes daily morning report, 3 bedside teaching, investigation session, and clinical reasoning weekly, and Lectures up to twice a week. We suggest implementing a curriculum with PBL and case-based criteria in clinical phase are feasible, we are providing a framework with this innovated curriculum.

  11. Nurse Educator Pathway Project: a competency-based intersectoral curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Lynne; Frost, Linda J; Bigl, Julie; Clauson, Marion; McRae, Cora; Scarborough, Kathy S; Murphy, Sue; Jillings, Carol; Gillespie, Frank

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we begin by providing an overview of the Educator Pathway Project (EPP), an education infrastructure that was developed in response to emerging critical nursing workplace issues, and the related demand for enhanced workplace education. We then describe the EPP competency-based curriculum designed to prepare nurses as preceptors, mentors, and educators to lead learning with diverse learner groups. This competency-based curriculum was developed through a collaboration of nurse leaders across practice, academic, and union sectors and drew from a widely embraced curriculum development model (Iwasiw, Goldenberg, & Andrusyzyn, 2005). The goal of the curriculum was to prepare nurses through a four-level career pathway model that contextualized practice and education theory to various education-related roles and levels of experience within the practice setting. Over 1,100 nurses participated in this innovative intersectoral nursing initiative.

  12. Implementation of life orientation programmes in the new curriculum ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The curriculum of the Life Orientation (LO ) learning area forms an excellent basis for equipping learners to respond positively to social demands, assume responsibilities, and optimize their life chances. I report on a qualitative study that focused on the extent to which schools and LO teachers succeeded in achieving the ...

  13. Critical relationships between teachers and learners of school mathematics

    OpenAIRE

    Wright, P.

    2017-01-01

    This article draws on critical theories and perspectives on mathematics education to explain the tendency of mathematics teaching worldwide to remain focused on developing procedural understanding, despite repeated calls from the mathematics education community for a more relevant and engaging curriculum. It highlights how conventional approaches to teaching mathematics contribute towards alienating a high proportion of learners and reproducing inequities within society. The article reports o...

  14. "That never would have occurred to me": a qualitative study of medical students' views of a cultural competence curriculum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhuang Gabriella

    2006-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The evidence is mixed regarding the efficacy of cultural competence curricula in developing learners' knowledge, attitudes and skills. More research is needed to better understand both the strengths and shortcomings of existing curricula from the perspective of learners in order to improve training. Methods We conducted three focus groups with medical students in their first year of clinical training to assess their perceptions of the cultural competence curriculum at a public university school of medicine. Results Students evaluated the informal curriculum as a more important source of learning about cultural competence than the formal curriculum. In terms of bias in both self and others, the cultural competence curriculum increased awareness, but was less effective in teaching specific interventional skills. Students also noted that the cultural competence curriculum did not always sufficiently help them find a balance between group-specific knowledge and respect for individual differences. Despite some concerns as to whether political correctness characterized the cultural competence curriculum, it was also seen as a way to rehumanize the medical education experience. Conclusion Future research needs to pay attention to issues such as perceived relevance, stereotyping, and political correctness in developing cross-cultural training programs.

  15. Nutrients: Learner's Guide for a Critical Path in Water Quality Monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glazer, Richard B.; And Others

    This learner's guide on nutrients is derived from a water monitoring curriculum developed at Ulster County Community College. There are 30 modules in this guide; each introduced with a statement of purpose and then broken down into an objective, learning conditions, and performance level. The modules cover: (1) safety; (2) chemical compounds; (3)…

  16. "You're being paged!" outcomes of a nursing home on-call role-playing and longitudinal curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuasa, Misuzu; Bell, Christina L; Inaba, Michiko; Tamura, Bruce K; Ahsan, Samina; Saunders, Valisa; Masaki, Kamal

    2013-11-01

    Effectively handling telephone calls about nursing home (NH) residents is an important skill for healthcare professionals, but little formal training is typically provided. The objective of the current study was to describe and evaluate the effectiveness of a novel structured role-playing didactic session followed by an on-call NH longitudinal clinical experience. The effectiveness of the structured role-playing didactic session was compared in different learners, including geriatric medicine fellows (n = 10), family medicine residents and faculty (n = 14), nurse practitioner students (n = 31), and other learners (n = 7). The curriculum focused on common problems encountered while caring for NH residents during on-call periods. Learners rated themselves using an 18-item pre/post questionnaire including five attitude and 13 skills questions, using a 1-to-5 Likert scale. T-tests were used to compare means before and after sessions. Significant improvements were found in overall mean attitudes and skills scores. For all learners, the greatest improvements were seen in "comfort in managing residents at the NH," "managing feeding or gastrostomy tube dislodgement," "identifying different availability of medications, laboratory studies, and procedures in NH," and "describing steps to send NH residents to the emergency department." Geriatric medicine fellows' attitudes and skills improved significantly after the longitudinal clinical experience. The faculty survey demonstrated improved documentation, communication, and fellows' management of on-call problems after curriculum implementation. This novel curriculum used role-playing to provide training for on-call management of NH residents. This curriculum has been successfully disseminated on a national geriatrics educational resource website (POGOe) and is applicable to geriatric medicine fellowships, internal medicine and family medicine residency programs, and other training programs. © 2013, Copyright the Authors

  17. Developing a Postbasic Gerontology Program for International Learners: Considerations for the Process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolan, Christine M.

    2003-01-01

    Chilean and Canadian schools of nursing collaborated in the development of 13 self-paced print modules in gerontology with web-based components. A 6-week preceptored clinical experience followed completion of the theory portion to support learner mastery of program outcomes. The curriculum was developed using a creative, systematic approach that…

  18. Gathering the Dreamers: The Transformation Process to a Learner-Centered School. The Reinventing School Series. Part Two and Viewing Guide. Videotape.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burrello, Leonard C.; DiLaura, Nancy

    This videotape and viewing guide present an emerging learner-centered paradigm of teaching and learning and answer questions of why and how a staff changes its practices. The viewing guide describes the elementary school in the videotape, noting the full inclusion of 50 students identified as disabled, the team approach in which teachers are…

  19. "Well, Hang On, They're Actually Much Better than That!": Disrupting Dominant Discourses of Deficit about English Language Learners in Senior High School English

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alford, Jennifer H.

    2014-01-01

    This paper explores how four English teachers position their English language learners for critical literacy within senior high school curriculum in Queensland, Australia. Such learners are often positioned, even by their teachers, within a broader "deficit discourse" that claims they are inherently lacking the requisite knowledge and…

  20. The hidden and informal curriculum across the continuum of training: A cross-sectional qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doja, Asif; Bould, M Dylan; Clarkin, Chantalle; Eady, Kaylee; Sutherland, Stephanie; Writer, Hilary

    2016-04-01

    The hidden and informal curricula refer to learning in response to unarticulated processes and constraints, falling outside the formal medical curriculum. The hidden curriculum has been identified as requiring attention across all levels of learning. We sought to assess the knowledge and perceptions of the hidden and informal curricula across the continuum of learning at a single institution. Focus groups were held with undergraduate and postgraduate learners and faculty to explore knowledge and perceptions relating to the hidden and informal curricula. Thematic analysis was conducted both inductively by research team members and deductively using questions structured by the existing literature. Participants highlighted several themes related to the presence of the hidden and informal curricula in medical training and practice, including: the privileging of some specialties over others; the reinforcement of hierarchies within medicine; and a culture of tolerance towards unprofessional behaviors. Participants acknowledged the importance of role modeling in the development of professional identities and discussed the deterioration in idealism that occurs. Common issues pertaining to the hidden curriculum exist across all levels of learners, including faculty. Increased awareness of these issues could allow for the further development of methods to address learning within the hidden curriculum.

  1. Transformative Autoethnography: An Examination of Cultural Identity and its Implications for Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sykes, Brent E.

    2014-01-01

    The cultural experiences of minority learners are often omitted from the formal curriculum leading to exclusion and a sense of cultural loss. In this study, the researcher's lived experience serves as the basis to develop a novel research strategy: transformative autoethnography. The researcher uses the method of autoethnography to more…

  2. Multi-Modal Curriculum Learning for Semi-Supervised Image Classification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Chen; Tao, Dacheng; Maybank, Stephen J; Liu, Wei; Kang, Guoliang; Yang, Jie

    2016-07-01

    Semi-supervised image classification aims to classify a large quantity of unlabeled images by typically harnessing scarce labeled images. Existing semi-supervised methods often suffer from inadequate classification accuracy when encountering difficult yet critical images, such as outliers, because they treat all unlabeled images equally and conduct classifications in an imperfectly ordered sequence. In this paper, we employ the curriculum learning methodology by investigating the difficulty of classifying every unlabeled image. The reliability and the discriminability of these unlabeled images are particularly investigated for evaluating their difficulty. As a result, an optimized image sequence is generated during the iterative propagations, and the unlabeled images are logically classified from simple to difficult. Furthermore, since images are usually characterized by multiple visual feature descriptors, we associate each kind of features with a teacher, and design a multi-modal curriculum learning (MMCL) strategy to integrate the information from different feature modalities. In each propagation, each teacher analyzes the difficulties of the currently unlabeled images from its own modality viewpoint. A consensus is subsequently reached among all the teachers, determining the currently simplest images (i.e., a curriculum), which are to be reliably classified by the multi-modal learner. This well-organized propagation process leveraging multiple teachers and one learner enables our MMCL to outperform five state-of-the-art methods on eight popular image data sets.

  3. Developing the master learner: applying learning theory to the learner, the teacher, and the learning environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schumacher, Daniel J; Englander, Robert; Carraccio, Carol

    2013-11-01

    As a result of the paradigm shift to a competency-based framework, both self-directed lifelong learning and learner-centeredness have become essential tenets of medical education. In the competency-based framework, learners drive their own educational process, and both learners and teachers share the responsibility for the path and content of learning. This learner-centered emphasis requires each physician to develop and maintain lifelong learning skills, which the authors propose culminate in becoming a "master leaner." To better understand the development of these skills and the attainment of that goal, the authors explore how learning theories inform the development of master learners and how to translate these theories into practical strategies for the learner, the teacher, and the learning environment so as to optimize this development.The authors begin by exploring self-determination theory, which lays the groundwork for understanding the motivation to learn. They next consider the theories of cognitive load and situated cognition, which inform the optimal context and environment for learning. Building from this foundation, the authors consider key educational theories that affect learners' abilities to serve as primary drivers of their learning, including self-directed learning (SDL); the self-assessment skills necessary for SDL; factors affecting self-assessment (self-concept, self-efficacy, illusory superiority, gap filling); and ways to mitigate the inaccuracies of self-assessment (reflection, self-monitoring, external information seeking, and self-directed assessment seeking).For each theory, they suggest practical action steps for the learner, the teacher, and the learning environment in an effort to provide a road map for developing master learners.

  4. They're Not Just Big Kids: Motivating Adult Learners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thoms, Karen Jarrett

    This paper discusses motivation of adult learners. The first section discusses the adult learner, including the concepts of andragogy and pedagogy, as well as student-centered learning. The second section summarizes changing student demographics and predictions. The third section presents principles of adult learning. The fourth section covers…

  5. Indicator Organisms: Learner's Guide for a Critical Path in Water Quality Monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glazer, Richard B.; And Others

    This learner's guide on indicator organisms is derived from a water monitoring curriculum developed at Ulster County Community College. There are 37 modules in this guide; each is introduced with a statement of purpose and then broken down into units of instruction. These units contain an objective, learning conditions, and a performance level.…

  6. Student Teachers' Views: What Is an Interesting Life Sciences Curriculum?

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Villiers, Rian

    2011-01-01

    In South Africa, the Grade 12 "classes of 2008 and 2009" were the first to write examinations under the revised Life Sciences (Biology) curriculum which focuses on outcomes-based education (OBE). This paper presents an exploration of what students (as learners) considered to be difficult and interesting in Grades 10-12 Life Sciences…

  7. LEARNER AUTONOMY IN THE INDONESIAN EFL SETTINGS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nenden Sri Lengkanawati

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Learner autonomy in Indonesian educational institutions has not commonly been listed as a teaching-learning objective, and most teachers seem to be hardly acquainted with learner autonomy (LA.  Therefore, it is very essential  to conduct a study of LA as perceived and experienced by school teachers and to find out the importance of LA training for professional development. A questionnaire was used to collect the data about English teachers’ perceptions regarding LA and LA-based practices. In addition, an LA training was conducted to see its significance for professional development.  After the data were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed, it was found that the participating teachers tended to maintain that autonomy should be inculcated among learners, and that the LA concept should not be misinterpreted as learning without a teacher. Concerning choices and decisions by  the learners, it was believed that learners’ making choices about how they learned and what activities they did, and involving them to decide what and how to learn could promote autonomy among learners. As regards LA-based teaching-learning practices, it was revealed that most teachers desired to implement LA principles in their teaching-learning contexts, although they identified that many of the LA principles were not that feasible to apply in their situation. It was also found that LA training could improve the teachers’ perceptions regarding LA concepts and principles. There were some constraints which could make learner autonomy difficult to develop among Indonesian learners in general: limited time allotted for the implementation of the curriculum, learners’ lack of autonomous learning experience, too much focus on national examinations, and insufficient proficiency of English.  LA-based teaching-learning practices were most desired; however, many were considered as having insufficient feasibility. In this respect, commitment is certainly the key to

  8. Improving Achievement for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners through an Inquiry-Based Earth Systems Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lambert, Julie; Ariza, Eileen N. Whelan

    2008-01-01

    This report describes an inquiry-based Earth systems curriculum and strategies for teaching diverse students, which were embedded in the curriculum. The curriculum was implemented with 5th-grade students with varied linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds in five schools in a large, southeastern U.S., urban school district. At the end…

  9. The Role of Teachers in Promoting Learner Autonomy in Secondary Schools in Saudi Arabia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alonazi, Saleema M.

    2017-01-01

    Today, learner autonomy is considered as a desirable goal in language education. The movement towards learner-centered approaches has resulted in more emphasis on the benefits of learner autonomy in the success of language education. The objective of the study was to investigate the roles of the teachers in promoting learner autonomy in Saudi EFL…

  10. How Do Novice and Expert Learners Represent, Understand, and Discuss Geologic Time?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Layow, Erica Amanda

    to determine accuracy of scale. This knowledge will provide a base from which to support geoscience curriculum development at the university level, specifically to design activities that will not only engage and express learners' metacognitive scientific practices, but to encourage their construction of scientific identities and membership in the geoscience community.

  11. English Language Learner Representation in Teacher Education Textbooks: A Null Curriculum?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watson, Sandy; Miller, Ted L.; Driver, Jennifer; Rutledge, Valerie; McAllister, Deborah

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to explore the issue of the English Language Learner as it is presented in teacher education textbooks developed for pre-service teachers. Rather than identify "typical" teacher education texts, the authors elect to review a selection of the most influential and widely used texts. Monument Information Resource (MIR)…

  12. Creating and Sustaining Inclusive Instructional Settings for English Language Learners: Why, What, and How

    Science.gov (United States)

    López, Francesca; Iribarren, Jacqueline

    2014-01-01

    In this article, we provide an empirically based framework for school leaders to support the replacement of separate means of providing services for English learners (ELs) with more inclusive learning supports. The framework encompasses evidence on cultivating language proficiency, ensuring access to a high-quality curriculum, and promoting…

  13. The integration of blended learning into an occupational therapy curriculum: a qualitative reflection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnard-Ashton, Paula; Rothberg, Alan; McInerney, Patricia

    2017-08-17

    This paper presents a critical reflection of the integration of Blended Learning (BL) into an undergraduate occupational therapy curriculum which was delivered through Problem Based Learning (PBL). This is a qualitative reflection of a Participatory Action Research (PAR) study using Brookfield's model for critical reflection of an educator's practice. The model uses four 'lenses' through which to focus enquiry: Lens 1) our autobiography as a learner of practice; Lens 2) our learners' eyes; Lens 3) our colleagues' experiences; and Lens 4) the theoretical literature. Grounded theory analysis was applied to the data. The factors that contributed to successful integration of technology and e-Learning into an existing curriculum, the hurdles that were navigated along the way, and how these influenced decisions and innovation are explored. The core categories identified in the data were "drivers of change" and "outcomes of BL integration". Key situations and pivotal events are highlighted for their role in the process that led to the project maturing. Each lens reflects the successes and hurdles experienced during the study. Brookfield's model provides an objective method of reflection which showed that despite the hurdles, e-Learning was successfully integrated into the curriculum.

  14. Critical thinking and creativity in nursing: learners' perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Zenobia C Y

    2013-05-01

    Although the development of critical thinking and the development of creativity are major areas in nursing programme, little has been explored about learners' perspectives towards these two concepts, especially in Chinese contexts. This study aimed to reveal nursing learners' perspectives on creativity and critical thinking. Qualitative data collection methods were adopted, namely group interviews and concept map drawings. The process of data collection was conducted in private rooms at a University. 36 nursing students from two problem-based learning classes were recruited in two groups for the study. After data collection, content analysis with axial coding approach was conducted to explore the narrative themes, to summarise the main ideas, and to make valid inferences from the connections among critical thinking, creativity, and other exogenous variables. Based on the findings, six major themes were identified: "revisiting the meanings of critical thinking"; "critical thinking and knowledge: partners or rivals?"; "is critical thinking criticising?"; "revising the meanings of creativity"; "creativity and experience: partners or rivals?"; and "should creativity be practical?". This study showed that learners had diverse perspectives towards critical thinking and creativity, and their debate on these two domains provided implications on nursing education, since the voices of learners are crucial in teaching. By closing the gap between learners and educators, this study offered some insights on nursing education in the new curriculum, in particular to co-construct nursing knowledge which is student-driven, and to consider students' voices towards understanding and applying creativity and critical thinking in nursing. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Teaching language arts to English language learners

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    Vásquez, Anete; Smith, Philip C

    2013-01-01

    This thoroughly revised and updated edition of Teaching Language Arts to English Language Learners provides readers with the comprehensive understanding of both the challenges that face ELLs and ways in which educators might address them in the language arts classroom. The authors offer proven techniques that teachers can readily use to teach reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary as well as speaking, listening, and viewing skills. A complete section is also devoted to ways teachers can integrate all five strands of the language arts curriculum into a comprehensive unit of study w

  16. Innovative Strategies for Empowering Your Students to Become Active, Responsible Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hufnagel, B.

    2011-09-01

    The economy continues to sputter along, and the repercussions are now hitting hard at publicly-funded colleges and universities, with enrollment increasing and funding decreasing. Funding agencies are starting to look at retention and completion rates as a way to allocate scarce dollars. Improving these rates is also one way to increase the future stream of tuition; students who can't pass introductory classes like ASTRO101 won't enroll and pay tuition for the next level, and they won't complete their degree. So what can you, a mere professor of astronomy, do? Tired of the "What do you want me to know?" questions? Provide your students with learner-centered structures to help them learn more deeply. Do your students resist active-engagement techniques and hate group work? Share empowerment strategies for helping students become active, responsible learners who can thrive in a learner-centered environment. Do you think that it's wrong for the freshman classes to be over-crowded, yet your sophomore classes don't get enough students or don't even exist? After using the proven curriculum of On Course, college and universities across the country have improved their retention across a wide range of disciplines (http://www.OnCourseWorkshop.com/Data.htm). Experience a sample of the fun and engaging activities developed over two decades to help students (1) accept personal responsibility, (2) discover self motivation, (3) master self-management, (4) use interdependence, (5) gain self-awareness, (6) adopt lifelong learning, (7) develop emotional intelligence, and (8) believe in themselves. Since this is only a one-hour workshop, we will focus on choices one and four: to be successful, students need to see themselves as the primary cause of their outcomes and experiences and to build mutually supportive relationships in our classroom and labs. Outcomes: (1) one ASTRO101 Course-ready activity to help students accept personal responsibility; (2) one ASTRO101 Course

  17. Access, Astronomy and Science Fiction. A Case Study in Curriculum Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saunders, Danny; Brake, Mark; Griffiths, Martin; Thornton, Rosi

    2004-01-01

    It is argued that a positive response to lifelong learning policies involves the use of imaginative curriculum design in order to attract learners from disadvantaged backgrounds who are otherwise alienated from higher education. In this article a case study is presented based on the popularity of science fiction within popular culture, beginning…

  18. Analysis of dermatology resident self-reported successful learning styles and implications for core competency curriculum development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stratman, Erik J; Vogel, Curt A; Reck, Samuel J; Mukesh, Bickol N

    2008-01-01

    There are different teaching styles for delivering competency-based curricula. The education literature suggests that learning is maximized when teaching is delivered in a style preferred by learners. To determine if dermatology residents report learning style preferences aligned with adult learning. Dermatology residents attending an introductory cutaneous biology course completed a learning styles inventory assessing self-reported success in 35 active and passive learning activities. The 35 learning activities were ranked in order of preference by learners. Mean overall ratings for active learning activities were significantly higher than for passive learning activities (P = 0.002). Trends in dermatology resident learning style preferences should be considered during program curriculum development. Programs should integrate a variety of curriculum delivery methods to accommodate various learning styles, with an emphasis on the active learning styles preferred by residents.

  19. Buen Viaje: Mutually Beneficial Tourism. A Four-Lesson Unit about Traveling with Care in Mexico for Grades 8-12 and Adult Learners in English and Spanish.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mattson, Alexandra; Ruiz, Octavio; Sommers, Meredith

    Intended for secondary students, this curriculum unit (in both English and Spanish) provides a look into Mexico's second largest industry, tourism. The curriculum unit of four lessons includes general information about tourism, maps, stories, and a code of behavior for travelers. The unit enumerates learner objectives, defines vocabulary and…

  20. Engaging Disaffected Learners in Key Stage 4 through Work-Related Learning in England

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Caroline; Laczik, Andrea

    2016-01-01

    Work-Related Learning (WRL) has been enthusiastically embraced by UK governments since the 1990s as a means of reengaging learners in the final years of compulsory schooling. However, recent years have seen a policy shift away from WRL towards a more academic curriculum for all young people. Drawing on a qualitative study commissioned by the…

  1. The feasibility of implementing food-based dietary guidelines in the South African primary-school curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Kim A; de Villiers, Anniza; Fourie, Jean M; Bourne, Lesley T; Hendricks, Michael K

    2015-01-01

    To explore the perceptions of educators from the Western Cape Province about the feasibility of implementing South African food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) in the national curriculum of primary schools. Combined quantitative and qualitative methods. We report on the quantitative component. Twelve public primary schools of different socio-economic status in three education districts of the Western Cape: Metro Central, Metro East and Cape Winelands. Educators (n 256) participated in the self-completed questionnaire survey. Educators assessed that FBDG were appropriate to South African schoolchildren (94%), could be used as an education tool (97%) and fill gaps in the current curriculum about healthy dietary habits (91%). Besides Life Orientation, FBDG could be taught in other learning areas from grades 3 to 7 (9-13 years old). Important barriers to implementing FBDG in the curriculum were educators' workload (61%), insufficient time (46%), learners' disadvantaged background (43%) and educators' lack of knowledge (33%). Other approaches to teach children about FBDG included linking these to the National School Nutrition Programme (82%), school tuck shops (79%), parent meetings (75%), school nutrition policy (73%) and school assembly (57%). Educators in high-income schools perceived that learners' lifestyle was significantly worse (P school assembly were the best means to teach pupils about FBDG (P school curriculum is seen as important together with optimizing the school physical environment. Key factors required for successful implementation in the curriculum are sufficient educational materials, adequate time allocation and appropriate educator training.

  2. Subjective and Objective Evaluation of PBL Outcomes in Preclinical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Subjective and Objective Evaluation of PBL Outcomes in Preclinical Medical Students. ... ABSTRACT: Problem based learning curriculum is widely recognized as a progressive, learner-centered, active learning approach and is currently used in the entire medical curriculum in over 10% of medical schools worldwide.

  3. A comparison of in-class learner engagement across lecture, problem-based learning, and team learning using the STROBE classroom observation tool.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, P Adam; Haidet, Paul; Schneider, Virginia; Searle, Nancy; Seidel, Charles L; Richards, Boyd F

    2005-01-01

    Having recently introduced team learning into the preclinical medical curriculum, evidence of the relative impact of this instructional method on in-class learner engagement was sought. To compare patterns of engagement behaviors among learners in class sessions across 3 distinct instructional methods: lecture, problem-based learning (PBL), and team learning. Trained observers used the STROBE classroom observation tool to measure learner engagement in 7 lecture, 4 PBL, and 3 team learning classrooms over a 12-month period. Proportions of different types of engagement behaviors were compared using chi-square. In PBL and team learning, the amount of learner-to-learner engagement was similar and much greater than in lecture, where most engagement was of the learner-to-instructor and self-engagement types. Also, learner-to-instructor engagement appeared greater in team learning than in PBL. Observed engagement behaviors confirm the potential of team learning to foster engagement similar to PBL, but with greater faculty input.

  4. Integrating Mobile Technologies into Very Young Second Language Learners' Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadykova, Gulnara; Gimaletdinova, Gulnara; Khalitova, Liliia; Kayumova, Albina

    2016-01-01

    This report is based on an exploratory case study of a private multilingual preschool language program that integrated a Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) project into the curriculum of five/six year-old children whose native language(s) is/are Russian and/or Tatar. The purpose of the study was to reveal teachers' and parents' perceptions…

  5. More than teacher directed or child initiated: Preschool curriculum type, parent involvement, and children's outcomes in the child-parent centers.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth Graue

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available This study investigated the contributions of curriculum approach and parent involvement to the short- and long-term effects of preschool participation in the Title I Chicago Child-Parent Centers. Data came from the complete cohort of 989 low-income children (93% African American in the Chicago Longitudinal Study, who attended preschool in the 20 Child-Parent Centers in 1983-1985 and kindergarten in 1985-1986. We found that implementation of an instructional approach rated high by Head Teachers in teacher-directed and child-initiated activities was most consistently associated with children’s outcomes, including school readiness at kindergarten entry, reading achievement in third and eighth grades, and avoidance of grade retention. Parent involvement in school activities, as rated by teachers and by parents, was independently associated with child outcomes from school readiness at kindergarten entry to eighth grade reading achievement and grade retention above and beyond the influence of curriculum approach. Findings indicate that instructional approaches that blend a teacher-directed focus with child-initiated activities and parental school involvement are origins of the long-term effects of participation in the Child-Parent Centers.

  6. Shufflegolf: Teaching Golf Strategies and Etiquette to Young Children and Learners with Intellectual Disabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kozub, Francis M.

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to share a unique curricular idea with physical educators interested about adding golf concepts to their curriculum. The focus is on a modified golf game that helps teach tactics, strategies, rules, and etiquette to young learners and those with intellectual disabilities. The specific content for this unit focuses on…

  7. Ambulatory Morning Report: A Case-Based Method of Teaching EBM Through Experiential Learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luciano, Gina L; Visintainer, Paul F; Kleppel, Reva; Rothberg, Michael B

    2016-02-01

    Evidence-based medicine (EBM) skills are important to daily practice, but residents generally feel unskilled incorporating EBM into practice. The Kolb experiential learning theory, as applied to curricular planning, offers a unique methodology to help learners build an EBM skill set based on clinical experiences. We sought to blend the learner-centered, case-based merits of the morning report with an experientially based EBM curriculum. We describe and evaluate a patient-centered ambulatory morning report combining the User's Guides to the Medical Literature approach to EBM and experiential learning theory in the internal medicine department at Baystate Medical Center. The Kolb experiential learning theory postulates that experience transforms knowledge; within that premise we designed a curriculum to build EBM skills incorporating residents' patient encounters. By developing structured clinical questions based on recent clinical problems, residents activate prior knowledge. Residents acquire new knowledge through selection and evaluation of an article that addresses the structured clinical questions. Residents then apply and use new knowledge in future patient encounters. To assess the curriculum, we designed an 18-question EBM test, which addressed applied knowledge and EBM skills based on the User's Guides approach. Of the 66 residents who could participate in the curriculum, 61 (92%) completed the test. There was a modest improvement in EBM knowledge, primarily during the first year of training. Our experiential curriculum teaches EBM skills essential to clinical practice. The curriculum differs from traditional EBM curricula in that ours blends experiential learning with an EBM skill set; learners use new knowledge in real time.

  8. LITERATURE CURRICULUM III--TEST FOR "THE MERCHANT OF VENICE."

    Science.gov (United States)

    KITZHABER, ALBERT R.

    THIS TEST--"THE MERCHANT OF VENICE"--WAS DESIGNED BY THE OREGON CURRICULUM STUDY CENTER FOR A NINTH-GRADE LITERATURE CURRICULUM. IT IS INTENDED TO ACCOMPANY CURRICULUM UNITS AVAILABLE AS ED 010 815 AND ED 010 816. (MM)

  9. An Investigation of Curriculum Elements for the Enhancement of the Teaching-Learning Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zohrabi, Mohammad

    2011-01-01

    Any curriculum consists of several components: goals, disposition, duration, needs analysis, learners and teachers, exercises and activities, resources, ways of learning, skills to be acquired, lexis, language structure, and ability assessment. Before setting up a program or course of study, these components should be determined and described in…

  10. Student teachers' views: what is an interesting life sciences curriculum?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rian de Villiers

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available In South Africa, the Grade 12 'classes of 2008 and 2009' were the first to write examinations under the revised Life Sciences (Biology curriculum which focuses on outcomes-based education (OBE. This paper presents an exploration of what students (as learners considered to be difficult and interesting in Grades 10-12 Life Sciences curricula in the Further Education and Training (FET phase. A sample of 125 first year, pre-service Life Sciences and Natural Sciences teachers from a university responded to a questionnaire in regard to their experiences with the newly implemented FET Life Sciences curricula. The responses to the questions were analysed qualitatively and/or quantitatively. Friedman tests were used to compare the mean rankings of the four different content knowledge areas within each curriculum, and to make cross-curricular comparisons of the mean rankings of the same content knowledge area for all three curricula. All four content areas of Grade 12 were considered as being more interesting than the other two grades. In terms of difficulty, the students found the Grade 10 curriculum themes the most difficult, followed by the Grade 12 and the Grade 11 curricula. Most of the students found the themes under the content area Diversity, change and continuity (Grades 10-12 more difficult to learn than the other three content areas. It is recommended that more emphasis needs to be placed on what learners are interested in, and on having this incorporated into Life Sciences curricula.

  11. High school learners' mental construction during solving optimisation problems in Calculus: a South African case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deonarain Brijlall

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This qualitative case study in a rural school in Umgungundlovu District in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, explored Grade 12 learners' mental constructions of mathematical knowledge during engagement with optimisation problems. Ten Grade 12 learners who do pure Mathematics participated, and data were collected through structured activity sheets and semi-structured interviews. Structured activity sheets with three tasks were given to learners; these tasks were done in groups, and the group leaders were interviewed. It was found that learners tended to do well with routine-type questions, implying that they were functioning at an action level. From the interviews it appeared that learners might have the correct answer, but lacked conceptual understanding. Exploring learners' mental constructions via their responses to activity sheets and interviews enabled common errors and misconceptions to be identified. Themes that emerged were that learners: 1 lacked the understanding of notation dy/dx, 2 had not constructed the derivative and minima/maxima schema, 3 had some difficulty in modelling problems, 4 preferred rules and formulas, and 5 applied algebraic notions incorrectly. Inferences are drawn for curriculum developers and teachers. This study also formulated itemised genetic decompositions for particular tasks, which contribute to APOS theory.

  12. Basic airway skills acquisition using the American College of Surgeons/Association for Surgical Education medical student simulation-based surgical skills curriculum: Initial results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muratore, Sydne; Kim, Michael; Olasky, Jaisa; Campbell, Andre; Acton, Robert

    2017-02-01

    The ACS/ASE Medical Student Simulation-Based Skills Curriculum was developed to standardize medical student training. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and validity of implementing the basic airway curriculum. This single-center, prospective study of medical students participating in the basic airway module from 12/2014-3/2016 consisted of didactics, small-group practice, and testing in a simulated clinical scenario. Proficiency was determined by a checklist of skills (1-15), global score (1-5), and letter grade (NR-needs review, PS-proficient in simulation scenario, CP-proficient in clinical scenario). A proportion of students completed pre/post-test surveys regarding experience, satisfaction, comfort, and self-perceived proficiency. Over 16 months, 240 students were enrolled with 98% deemed proficient in a simulated or clinical scenario. Pre/post-test surveys (n = 126) indicated improvement in self-perceived proficiency by 99% of learners. All students felt moderately to very comfortable performing basic airway skills and 94% had moderate to considerable satisfaction after completing the module. The ACS/ASE Surgical Skills Curriculum is a feasible and effective way to teach medical students basic airway skills using simulation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Simulated Job Samples: A Student-Centered Approach to Vocational Exploration and Evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richter-Stein, Caryn; Stodden, Robert A.

    1981-01-01

    Incorporating simulated job samples into the junior high school curriculum can provide vocational exploration opportunities as well as assessment data on special needs students. Students can participate as active learners and decision makers. (CL)

  14. Developing a Simulation-Based Mastery Learning Curriculum: Lessons From 11 Years of Advanced Cardiac Life Support.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barsuk, Jeffrey H; Cohen, Elaine R; Wayne, Diane B; Siddall, Viva J; McGaghie, William C

    2016-02-01

    Curriculum development in medical education should follow a planned, systematic approach fitted to the needs and conditions of a local institutional environment and its learners. This article describes the development and maintenance of a simulation-based medical education curriculum on advanced cardiac life support skills and its transformation to a mastery learning program. Curriculum development used the Kern 6-step model involving problem identification and general needs assessment, targeted needs assessment, goals and objectives, educational strategies, implementation, and evaluation and feedback. Curriculum maintenance and enhancement and dissemination are also addressed. Transformation of the simulation-based medical education curriculum to a mastery learning program was accomplished after a 2-year phase-in trial. A series of studies spanning 11 years was performed to adjust the curriculum, improve checklist outcome measures, and evaluate curriculum effects as learning outcomes among internal medicine residents and improved patient care practices. We anticipate wide adoption of the mastery learning model for skill and knowledge acquisition and maintenance in medical education settings.

  15. Secondary school learners' contextualized knowledge about reflection and refraction: a case study from South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    John, Merlin; Molepo, Jacob Maisha; Chirwa, Max

    2018-04-01

    Background: The development of context-based science curricula has been identified as one of the most effective curricular innovations to develop interest and better conceptual understanding of many areas in science. However, such a curriculum can be more fruitful if it starts with the assessment of learners' contextualized knowledge about the science topic in hand.

  16. Using the SIOP Model to Promote the Acquisition of Language and Science Concepts with English Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Echevarria, Jana; Richards-Tutor, Catherine; Canges, Rebecca; Francis, David

    2011-01-01

    In this article we report findings from research through the Center for Research on the Educational Achievement and Teaching of English Language Learners (CREATE), a National Research and Development Center. In our study we examined the efficacy of a model of instruction for English learners, the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP)…

  17. Memberdayakan Kemampuan Berpikir Kritis Siswa melalui Pembelajaran Konstruktivistik

    OpenAIRE

    Muhfahroyin, Muhfahroyin

    2009-01-01

    Critical thinking is relates to high level activity covers ability in problem solving, decision making, reflective thinking, creative thinking, and conclusion making. Critical thinking is called as a higher order thinking skill. Student centered learning requires a learner to think critically with creativity, inovation, and supported a curriculum that is supporting the learning. To develop self-regulated learner which empowers all potency in student centered learning, the learning must empowe...

  18. Curriculum for Commissioning Energy Efficient Buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Webster, Lia [Portland Energy Conservation, Inc., OR (United States)

    2012-12-27

    In July 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded funding to PECI to develop training curriculum in commercial energy auditing and building commissioning. This program was created in response to the high demand for auditing and commissioning services in the U.S. commercial buildings market and to bridge gaps and barriers in existing training programs. Obstacles addressed included: lack of focus on entry level candidates; prohibitive cost and time required for training; lack of hands-on training; trainings that focus on certifications & process overviews; and lack of comprehensive training. PECI organized several other industry players to create a co-funded project sponsored by DOE, PECI, New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA), California Energy Commission (CEC), Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) and California Commissioning Collaborative (CCC). After awarded, PECI teamed with another DOE awardee, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), to work collaboratively to create one comprehensive program featuring two training tracks. NJIT’s Center for Building Knowledge is a research and training institute affiliated with the College of Architecture and Design, and provided e-learning and video enhancements. This project designed and developed two training programs with a comprehensive, energy-focused curriculum to prepare new entrants to become energy auditors or commissioning authorities (CxAs). The following are the key elements of the developed trainings, which is depicted graphically in Figure 1: • Online classes are self-paced, and can be completed anywhere, any time • Commissioning Authority track includes 3 online modules made up of 24 courses delivered in 104 individual lessons, followed by a 40 hour hands-on lab. Total time required is between 75 and 100 hours, depending on the pace of the independent learner. • Energy Auditor track includes 3 online modules made up of 18 courses delivered in 72 individual

  19. Urban school leadership for elementary science education: Meeting the needs of English Language Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alarcon, Maricela H.

    Science education reform and state testing accountability call upon principals to become instructional leaders in science. Specifically, elementary school principals must take an active role in science instruction to effectively improve science education for all students including English Language Learners. As such, the research questioned posed in this study centered on How are elementary school principals addressing the academic needs of Latino Spanish-speaking English language learners within science education? This study employed a qualitative research design to identify the factors contributing to the exemplary performance in science, as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), for English Language Learner students in three high poverty bilingual elementary schools based on a multiple case study. As part of the data collection process, interviews were conducted with three school principals, three science academic support teachers, and two 5th grade bilingual teachers. Additionally, observations were acquired through school principal shadowing. The findings revealed four attributes necessary for effective instructional leadership in science education. First, Positive School Culture was defined as the core that linked the other three instructional leadership attributes and thus increased their effectiveness. Second, Clear Goals and Expectations were set by making science a priority and ensuring that English language learners were transitioning from Spanish to English instruction by the fifth grade. Third, Critical Resourcing involved hiring a science academic support teacher, securing a science classroom on campus, and purchasing bilingual instructional materials. Fourth, principal led and supported Collaboration in which teachers met to discuss student performance based data in addition to curriculum and instruction. These research findings are vital because by implementing these best practices of elementary school principals, educators

  20. Online learning in a dermatology clerkship: piloting the new American Academy of Dermatology Medical Student Core Curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cipriano, Sarah D; Dybbro, Eric; Boscardin, Christy K; Shinkai, Kanade; Berger, Timothy G

    2013-08-01

    Multiple studies have shown that both current and future primary care providers have insufficient education and training in dermatology. To address the limitations and wide variability in medical student dermatology instruction, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) created a standardized, online curriculum for both dermatology learners and educators. We sought to determine the impact of the integration of the AAD online curriculum into a 2-week introductory dermatology clerkship for fourth-year medical students. In addition to their clinical duties, we assigned 18 online modules at a rate of 1 to 3 per day. We evaluated knowledge acquisition using a 50-item, multiple-choice pretest and posttest. Postmodule and end-of-course questionnaires contained both closed and open-ended items soliciting students' perceptions about usability and satisfaction. All 51 participants significantly improved in their dermatology knowledge (P dermatology clerkship. Without a control group who did not experience the online curriculum, we are unable to isolate the specific impact of the online modules on students' learning. This study demonstrates the successful integration of this educational resource into a 2-week, university-based dermatology clerkship. Students' perceptions regarding usability and satisfaction were overwhelmingly positive, suggesting that the online curriculum is highly acceptable to learners. Widespread use of this curriculum may be a significant advancement in standardized dermatology learning for medical students. Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Engaging a middle school teacher and students in formal-informal science education: Contexts of science standards-based curriculum and an urban science center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grace, Shamarion Gladys

    This is a three-article five chapter doctoral dissertation. The overall purpose of this three-pronged study is to engage a middle school science teacher and students in formal-informal science education within the context of a science standards-based curriculum and Urban Science Center. The goals of the study were: (1) to characterize the conversations of formal and informal science educators as they attempted to implement a standards-based curriculum augmented with science center exhibits; (2) to study the classroom discourse between the teacher and students that foster the development of common knowledge in science and student understanding of the concept of energy before observing science center exhibits on energy; (3) to investigate whether or not a standards-driven, project-based Investigating and Questioning our World through Science and Technology (IQWST) curriculum unit on forms and transformation of energy augmented with science center exhibits had a significant effect on urban African-American seventh grade students' achievement and learning. Overall, the study consisted of a mixed-method approach. Article one consists of a case study featuring semi-structured interviews and field notes. Article two consists of documenting and interpreting teacher-students' classroom discourse. Article three consists of qualitative methods (classroom discussion, focus group interviews, student video creation) and quantitative methods (multiple choice and open-ended questions). Oral discourses in all three studies were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. In article one, the community of educators' conversations were critically analyzed to discern the challenges educators encountered when they attempted to connect school curriculum to energy exhibits at the Urban Science Center. The five challenges that characterize the emergence of a third space were as follows: (a) science terminology for lesson focus, (b) "dumb-down" of science exhibits, (c) exploration distracts

  2. So You Want to Start a Peer Online Writing Center?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christine Rosalia

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to share lessons learned in setting up three different peer online writing centers in three different contexts (EFL, Generation 1.5, and ESL. In each center the focus was on the language learner as a peer online writing advisor and their needs in maintaining centers “for and by” learners. Technology affordances and constraints for local contexts, which promote learner autonomy, are analyzed. The open-source platforms (Moodle, Drupal, and Google Apps are compared in terms of usability for peer writing center work, particularly centers where groups co-construct feedback for writers, asynchronously. This paper is useful for readers who would like a head start or deeper understanding of potential logistics and decision-making involved in establishing a peer online writing center within coursework and/or a self-access learning center.

  3. Integrating Field-Centered, Project Based Activities with Academic Year Coursework: A Curriculum Wide Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelso, P. R.; Brown, L. M.

    2015-12-01

    Based upon constructivist principles and the recognition that many students are motivated by hands-on activities and field experiences, we designed a new undergraduate curriculum at Lake Superior State University. One of our major goals was to develop stand-alone field projects in most of the academic year courses. Examples of courses impacted include structural geology, geophysics, and geotectonics, Students learn geophysical concepts in the context of near surface field-based geophysical studies while students in structural geology learn about structural processes through outcrop study of fractures, folds and faults. In geotectonics students learn about collisional and rifting processes through on-site field studies of specific geologic provinces. Another goal was to integrate data and samples collected by students in our sophomore level introductory field course along with stand-alone field projects in our clastic systems and sequence stratigraphy courses. Our emphasis on active learning helps students develop a meaningful geoscience knowledge base and complex reasoning skills in authentic contexts. We simulate the activities of practicing geoscientists by engaging students in all aspects of a project, for example: field-oriented project planning and design; acquiring, analyzing, and interpreting data; incorporating supplemental material and background data; and preparing oral and written project reports. We find through anecdotal evidence including student comments and personal observation that the projects stimulate interest, provide motivation for learning new concepts, integrate skill and concept acquisition vertically through the curriculum, apply concepts from multiple geoscience subdisiplines, and develop soft skills such as team work, problem solving, critical thinking and communication skills. Through this projected-centered Lake Superior State University geology curriculum students practice our motto of "learn geology by doing geology."

  4. Global Internet Video Classroom: A Technology Supported Learner-Centered Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawrence, Oliver

    2010-01-01

    The Global Internet Video Classroom (GIVC) Project connected Chicago Civil Rights activists of the 1960s with Cape Town Anti-Apartheid activists of the 1960s in a classroom setting where learners from Cape Town and Chicago engaged activists in conversations about their motivation, principles, and strategies. The project was launched in order to…

  5. Backward Design: Targeting Depth of Understanding for All Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Childre, Amy; Sands, Jennifer R.; Pope, Saundra Tanner

    2009-01-01

    Curriculum design is at the center of developing student ability to construct understanding. Without appropriately designed curriculum, instruction can be ineffective at scaffolding understanding. Often students with disabilities need more explicit instruction or guidance in applying their schema to new information. Thus, instruction must not only…

  6. A "Resident-as-Teacher" Curriculum Using a Flipped Classroom Approach: Can a Model Designed for Efficiency Also Be Effective?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chokshi, Binny D; Schumacher, Heidi K; Reese, Kristen; Bhansali, Priti; Kern, Jeremy R; Simmens, Samuel J; Blatt, Benjamin; Greenberg, Larrie W

    2017-04-01

    The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires training that enhances resident teaching skills. Despite this requirement, many residency training programs struggle to implement effective resident-as-teacher (RAT) curricula, particularly within the context of the 80-hour resident workweek. In 2013, the authors developed and evaluated an intensive one-day RAT curriculum using a flipped classroom approach. Twenty-nine second-year residents participated in daylong RAT sessions. The curriculum included four 1-hour workshops focusing on adult learning principles, giving feedback, teaching a skill, and orienting a learner. Each workshop, preceded by independent reading, featured peer co-teaching, application, and feedback. The authors evaluated the curriculum using pre- and postworkshop objective structured teaching examinations (OSTEs) and attitudinal and self-efficacy teaching questionnaires. Residents demonstrated statistically significant improvements in performance between pre- and postworkshop OSTEs on each of three core skills: giving feedback (P = .005), orienting a learner (P flipped classroom approach is an efficient and effective method for training residents to improve teaching skills, especially in an era of work hour restrictions. They have committed to the continuation of this curriculum and are planning to include assessment of its long-term effects on resident behavior change and educational outcomes.

  7. EFL Learners' Self-Perceived Strategy Use across Various Intelligence Types: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tahriri, Abdorreza; Divsar, Hoda

    2011-01-01

    Increasing attention paid to learner-centered pedagogy in recent years has highlighted the examination of intelligence and language learning strategies (LLSs) among others. This study explores EFL learners' perceived use of language learning strategies across various intelligence types as reflected in Gardner's 1983 Multiple Intelligences Theory.…

  8. Emergency in the clinic: a simulation curriculum to improve outpatient safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Espey, Eve; Baty, Gillian; Rask, John; Chungtuyco, Michelle; Pereda, Brenda; Leeman, Lawrence

    2017-12-01

    Emergency response skills are essential when events such as seizure, anaphylaxis, or hemorrhage occur in the outpatient setting. As services and procedures increasingly move outside the hospital, training to manage complications may improve outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate a simulation-based curriculum in outpatient emergency management skills with the outcome measures of graded objective performance and learner self-efficacy. This pre- and postcurriculum study enrolled residents and fellows in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Family Medicine in a simulation-based, outpatient emergency management curriculum. Learners completed self-efficacy questionnaires and were videotaped managing 3 medical emergency scenarios (seizure, over-sedation/cardiopulmonary arrest, and hemorrhage) in the simulation laboratory both before and after completion of the curriculum. Evaluators who were blinded to training level scored the simulation performance videotapes using a graded rubric with critical action checklists. Scenario scores were assigned in 5 domains and globally. Paired t-tests were used to determine differences pre- and postcurriculum. Thirty residents completed the curriculum and pre- and postcurriculum testing. Subjects' objective performance scores improved in all 5 domains (Pimprovement. When scores were stratified by previous outpatient simulation experience, subjects with previous experience improved in all but management of excess sedation. Pre- and postcurriculum self-efficacy evaluations demonstrated improvement in all 7 measured areas: confidence, use of appropriate resources, communication skills, complex airway management, bag mask ventilation, resuscitation, and hemorrhage management. Self-efficacy assessment showed improvement in confidence managing outpatient emergencies (P=.001) and ability to communicate well in emergency situations (Pimproved both self-efficacy and objectively rated performance scores in management of outpatient medical

  9. Oncology education in Canadian undergraduate and postgraduate medical programs: a survey of educators and learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tam, V.C.; Berry, S.; Hsu, T.; North, S.; Neville, A.; Chan, K.; Verma, S.

    2014-01-01

    Background The oncology education framework currently in use in Canadian medical training programs is unknown, and the needs of learners have not been fully assessed to determine whether they are adequately prepared to manage patients with cancer. Methods To assess the oncology education framework currently in use at Canadian medical schools and residency training programs for family (fm) and internal medicine (im), and to evaluate opinions about the content and utility of standard oncology education objectives, a Web survey was designed and sent to educators and learners. The survey recipients included undergraduate medical education curriculum committee members (umeccms), directors of fm and im programs, oncologists, medical students, and fm and im residents. Results Survey responses were received from 677 educators and learners. Oncology education was felt to be inadequate in their respective programs by 58% of umeccms, 57% of fm program directors, and 50% of im program directors. For learners, oncology education was thought to be inadequate by 67% of medical students, 86% of fm residents, and 63% of im residents. When comparing teaching of medical subspecialty–related diseases, all groups agreed that their trainees were least prepared to manage patients with cancer. A standard set of oncology objectives was thought to be possibly or definitely useful for undergraduate learners by 59% of respondents overall and by 61% of postgraduate learners. Conclusions Oncology education in Canadian undergraduate and postgraduate fm and im training programs are currently thought to be inadequate by a majority of educators and learners. Developing a standard set of oncology objectives might address the needs of learners. PMID:24523624

  10. Specifying a curriculum for biopolitical critical literacy in science teacher education: exploring roles for science fiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gough, Noel

    2017-12-01

    In this essay I suggest some ways in which science teacher educators in Western neoliberal economies might facilitate learners' development of a critical literacy concerning the social and cultural changes signified by the concept of biopolitics. I consider how such a biopolitically inflected critical literacy might find expression in a science teacher education curriculum and suggest a number of ways of materializing such a curriculum in specific literatures, media, procedures, and assessment tasks, with particular reference to the contributions of science fiction in popular media.

  11. Teachers’ Experiences of the Implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS in Three Primary Schools in KwaZulu Natal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lokesh R. Maharajh

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This article examined on teachers’ experiences on the implementation of CAPS, using three primary schools in KwaZulu-Natal. This article employed the curriculum theory as an analytical framework. The aim of this article is to examine teacher’s experiences of the implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS. The article employed a qualitative research design to gather data. The data gathered through the use of semi-structured face to face interviews with teachers. The findings of the article reveal that there are many dynamics and possibilities relating to curriculum change in South Africa. The findings of the article further reveal that despite the challenges facing CAPS, South Africa’s education system as a whole is plagued by challenges. The challenges are attributed to lack of resources and poorly trained teachers. The article concludes that understanding these dynamics depend, to a large extent, on paying attention to constraints and challenges influencing curriculum change. This article fills the knowledge-gap with reference to teacher’s first-hand knowledge of CAPS and the challenges associated with it. The article thus recommends that appropriate resources should be made available in order to ensure efficient and effective implementation of curriculum implementation. It also recommends that a teacher: learner ratio of 1:30 should be practiced to ensure that teachers give special attention to each learner.

  12. Designing Web-Based Educative Curriculum Materials for the Social Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Callahan, Cory; Saye, John; Brush, Thomas

    2013-01-01

    This paper reports on a design experiment of web-based curriculum materials explicitly created to help social studies teachers develop their professional teaching knowledge. Web-based social studies curriculum reform efforts, human-centered interface design, and investigations into educative curriculum materials are reviewed, as well as…

  13. Goal-Setting and Self-Reflection to Enhance Learners' Interaction in an ESP Context

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lozano Velandia, Sergio Andrés

    2015-01-01

    This qualitative action research study explored the interactions of young-adult learners carrying out self-reflection on their learning processes in an ESP (English for special purposes) course at an airline training-center in Bogotá, Colombia. Needs analysis revealed that learners had poor knowledge of technical English, and lacked strong…

  14. Improving patient-centered communication while using an electronic health record: Report from a curriculum evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fogarty, Colleen T; Winters, Paul; Farah, Subrina

    2016-05-01

    Researchers and clinicians are concerned about the impact of electronic health record use and patient-centered communication. Training about patient-centered clinical communication skills with the electronic health record may help clinicians adapt and remain patient-centered. We developed an interactive workshop eliciting challenges and opportunities of working with the electronic health record in clinical practice, introduction of specific patient-centered behaviors and mindful practice techniques, and video demonstrating contrasts in common behavior and "better practices." One hundred thirty-nine resident physicians and faculty supervisors in five residency training programs at the University of Rochester Medical Center participated in the workshops. Participants were asked to complete an 11-item survey of behaviors related to their use of the electronic health record prior to training and after attending training. We used paired t-tests to assess changes in self-reported behavior from pre-intervention to post-intervention. We trained 139 clinicians in the workshops; 110 participants completed the baseline assessment and 39 completed both the baseline and post-intervention assessment. Data from post-curriculum respondents found a statistically significant increase in "I told the patient when turning my attention from the patient to the computer," from 60% of the time prior to the training to 70% of the time after. Data from our program evaluation demonstrated improvement in one communication behavior. Sample size limited the detection of other changes; further research should investigate effective training techniques for patient-centered communication while using the electronic health record. © The Author(s) 2016.

  15. A Theoretical Framework for Integrating Creativity Development into Curriculum: The Case of a Korean Engineering School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Cheolil; Lee, Jihyun; Lee, Sunhee

    2014-01-01

    Existing approaches to developing creativity rely on the sporadic teaching of creative thinking techniques or the engagement of learners in a creativity-promoting environment. Such methods cannot develop students' creativity as fully as a multilateral approach that integrates creativity throughout a curriculum. The purpose of this study was to…

  16. Texas Real Estate Curriculum Workshop Summary Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyon, Robert

    The Texas Real Estate Research Center-Texas Education Agency (TRERC-TEA) curriculum workshop was attended by over 40 participants representing 26 Texas community colleges. These participants divided into eight small groups by real estate specialty area and developed curriculum outlines and learning objectives for the following real estate courses:…

  17. Residency Training: The need for an integrated diversity curriculum for neurology residency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosendale, Nicole; Josephson, S Andrew

    2017-12-12

    Providing culturally responsive care to an increasingly multicultural population is essential and requires formal cultural humility training for residents. We sought to understand the current prevalence and need for this type of training within neurology programs and to pilot an integrated curriculum locally. We surveyed via email all program directors of academic neurology programs nationally regarding the prevalence of and need for formal cultural responsiveness training. Forty-seven program directors (36%) responded to the survey. The majority of respondents did not have a formalized diversity curriculum in their program (65%), but most (85%) believed that training in cultural responsiveness was important. We developed locally an integrated diversity curriculum as a proof of concept. The curriculum covered topics of diversity in language, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, and socioeconomic status designed to focus on the needs of the local community. Program evaluation included a pre and post survey of the learner attitudes toward cultural diversity. There is an unmet need for cultural responsiveness training within neurology residencies, and integrating this curriculum is both feasible and efficacious. When adapted to address cultural issues of the local community, this curriculum can be generalizable to both academic and community organizations. © 2017 American Academy of Neurology.

  18. Crowdsourced Curriculum Development for Online Medical Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shappell, Eric; Chan, Teresa M; Thoma, Brent; Trueger, N Seth; Stuntz, Bob; Cooney, Robert; Ahn, James

    2017-12-08

    In recent years online educational content, efforts at quality appraisal, and integration of online material into institutional teaching initiatives have increased. However, medical education has yet to develop large-scale online learning centers. Crowd-sourced curriculum development may expedite the realization of this potential while providing opportunities for innovation and scholarship. This article describes the current landscape, best practices, and future directions for crowdsourced curriculum development using Kern's framework for curriculum development and the example topic of core content in emergency medicine. A scoping review of online educational content was performed by a panel of subject area experts for each step in Kern's framework. Best practices and recommendations for future development for each step were established by the same panel using a modified nominal group consensus process. The most prevalent curriculum design steps were (1) educational content and (2) needs assessments. Identified areas of potential innovation within these steps included targeting gaps in specific content areas and developing underrepresented instructional methods. Steps in curriculum development without significant representation included (1) articulation of goals and objectives and (2) tools for curricular evaluation. By leveraging the power of the community, crowd-sourced curriculum development offers a mechanism to diffuse the burden associated with creating comprehensive online learning centers. There is fertile ground for innovation and scholarship in each step along the continuum of curriculum development. Realization of this paradigm's full potential will require individual developers to strongly consider how their contributions will align with the work of others.

  19. 'Cascading participation' and the role of teachers in a collaborative HIV and Aids curriculum development project

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    Duncan Scott

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents findings of four Grade 6 teachers' involvement as facilitators of a participatory action research (PAR project conducted in three South African primary schools. Based on the results of Phase One research which indicated that Grade 6s learn about sexuality, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS from multiple sources, the Phase Two project designers developed a toolkit to help Life Orientation (LO teachers consult learners on what they know and how they want to be taught. In each school, a curriculum development group comprising the participating teacher, learners, parents and an HIV and Aids specialist worked to enhance the official HIV and Aids curriculum using the information gathered each week by the teacher. This dialogue between the study participants represents the culmination of what we describe as the project's 'cascading participation' research model, a term denoting the multiple levels of participant involvement in the study. Although theories of participation often depict a binary relationship between those with power and those without it, the implementation of this project shows how the official curriculum, cultural norms and low parent involvement can exert pressure at different levels to diminish teachers' ability to facilitate social and educational change.

  20. Mentorship in Grades 5 through 12 Gifted Vocal Music Programs: Learners' and Educators' Perceptions of Mentorship

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Jimmy Lee

    2017-01-01

    Although the implementation of effective instructional practice is paramount to the academic success of gifted music programs in kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12), many learners in gifted music programs lack critical thinking skills, self-directed learning, a learner-centered paradigm, and learner-mentor relationship during instruction.…

  1. Post graduate ESP curriculum: reading and writing needs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Afsaneh Dehnad

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Assessing learners' needs is an integral part of any curriculum and course design , namely English for specific purposes (ESP, syllabus design, materials development, teaching methods and testing issues. Critical approach to needs analysis, which is a relatively recent approach, acknowledges the rights of different stakeholders including teachers, students and administrators in the process of needs analysis. However, there has been no formal need analysis for syllabus design at postgraduate level in Medical Universities affiliated to the Ministry of Health in Iran. This study, conducted in 2011, was an attempt to assess the reading and writing needs of postgraduate students in ESP courses on the basis of critical approach to needs analysis. The study population consisted of 67 people: 56 postgraduate students, 5 heads of departments, 5 ESP instructors and 1 executive manager at the Ministry of Health in Iran. Ethical and demographic forms, needs analysis questionnaires, and a form of semi-structured interview were the instruments of the study. According to the findings, there was a discrepancy between students' and instructors' perception of learners' needs and the assumed needs appearing in the syllabi prescribed by the Ministry of Health in Iran. This study showed that a call for critical needs analysis in which the rights of different stakeholders are acknowledged is necessary for meeting the requirements of any ESP classes especially at postgraduate level where the instructors and learners are fully aware of learners' needs.

  2. Emotional and cultural impacts of ICT on learners: A case study of Opuwo, Namibia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hambira, N.; Lim, C. K.; Tan, K. L.

    2017-10-01

    It is believed that the integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) among learners and teachers can tremendously enhance the quality of teaching and learning. Besides, the advancement of the ICT technology is also used to improve the academic performance of the learners in learning and has given space to the teachers to boost their teaching in a more effective manner. However, it is also crucial to identify the impacts on the cultural and emotional among the learners. Nonetheless, it is also difficult to imagine contemporary learning environments that are not supported by ICT since the impacts of these technological developments vary among the various communities. In this paper, the contributions are three folds: (i) to investigate the impacts in the cultural and emotional aspects from the perceptions of the teachers about the learners in disadvantaged and marginalized communities, (ii) to design an assessment instrument to survey and determine the different impacts of ICT use on learners from various communities through a set of questionnaires and (iii) to validate the assessment instrument through Cronbach's Alpha reliability testing. Then, the survey is conducted on learners from disadvantaged and marginalized communities in Opuwo, Namibia that makes it an ideal case study for the context of this research. This study made use of a quantitative approach using survey research design through the application of questionnaires to collect data. The size of the population of these community is approximately 500 teachers (from 16 schools, 2 High schools and 14 Primary) and the sample size that is taken into consideration is 42 (8.4% of approximate population). The research revealed that the use of ICT has emotional benefits as well cultural impacts on learners. Careful planning of ICT curriculum was suggested as it will be beneficial to the disadvantaged and marginalized learners.

  3. Preparing skilled labor in industry through production-based curriculum approach in vocational high school

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoto

    2017-09-01

    Vocational high school (Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan / SMK) aims to prepare mid-level skilled labors to work in the industry and are able to create self-employment opportunities. For those reasons, the curriculum in SMK should be based on meeting the needs of the industries and is able to prepare learners to master the competence in accordance with the skills program of their choice. Production based curriculum is the curriculum which the learning process is designed together with the production process or using production process as a learning medium. This approach with the primary intention to introduce students with the real working environment and not merely simulations. In the production-based curriculum implementation model, students are directly involved in the industry through the implementation of industrial working practices, do work on production units in school, and do practical work in school by doing the job as done in the industry by using industry standards machines.

  4. Clinical and Educational Outcomes of an Integrated Inpatient Quality Improvement Curriculum for Internal Medicine Residents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ogrinc, Greg; Cohen, Emily S; van Aalst, Robertus; Harwood, Beth; Ercolano, Ellyn; Baum, Karyn D; Pattison, Adam J; Jones, Anne C; Davies, Louise; West, Al

    2016-10-01

    Integrating teaching and hands-on experience in quality improvement (QI) may increase the learning and the impact of resident QI work. We sought to determine the clinical and educational impact of an integrated QI curriculum. This clustered, randomized trial with early and late intervention groups used mixed methods evaluation. For almost 2 years, internal medicine residents from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center on the inpatient teams at the White River Junction VA participated in the QI curriculum. QI project effectiveness was assessed using statistical process control. Learning outcomes were assessed with the Quality Improvement Knowledge Application Tool-Revised (QIKAT-R) and through self-efficacy, interprofessional care attitudes, and satisfaction of learners. Free text responses by residents and a focus group of nurses who worked with the residents provided information about the acceptability of the intervention. The QI projects improved many clinical processes and outcomes, but not all led to improvements. Educational outcome response rates were 65% (68 of 105) at baseline, 50% (18 of 36) for the early intervention group at midpoint, 67% (24 of 36) for the control group at midpoint, and 53% (42 of 80) for the late intervention group. Composite QIKAT-R scores (range, 0-27) increased from 13.3 at baseline to 15.3 at end point ( P  < .01), as did the self-efficacy composite score ( P  < .05). Satisfaction with the curriculum was rated highly by all participants. Learning and participating in hands-on QI can be integrated into the usual inpatient work of resident physicians.

  5. From Digital Divide to Digital Equity: Learners' ICT Competence in Four Primary Schools in Cape Town, South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gudmundsdottir, G. B.

    2010-01-01

    This study explores factors influencing the digital divide in four schools in Cape Town, South Africa. Three of the schools are for disadvantaged learners whereas the fourth was previously for whites only. All the schools use ICT in their curriculum delivery and thereby support the emphasis of provincial educational authorities on ICT access for…

  6. Visual Learning: A Learner Centered Approach to Enhance English Language Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Philominraj, Andrew; Jeyabalan, David; Vidal-Silva, Christian

    2017-01-01

    This article presents an empirical study carried out among the students of higher secondary schools to find out how English language learning occurs naturally in an environment where learners are encouraged by an appropriate method such as visual learning. The primary data was collected from 504 students with different pretested questionnaires. A…

  7. Adult Learners and Spiritual Formation: Exploring Outcomes at Christ-Centered Universities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barkley, Heather R.

    2017-01-01

    The limited research on adult learners and spiritual formation has created a knowledge gap regarding whether bachelor's degree-completion students value the faith aspects of their education at Christian colleges. As this population grows, so does the need to better understand if the spiritual components of adult programs are having an impact and…

  8. Student teachers' views: what is an interesting life sciences curriculum?

    OpenAIRE

    Rian de Villiers

    2011-01-01

    In South Africa, the Grade 12 'classes of 2008 and 2009' were the first to write examinations under the revised Life Sciences (Biology) curriculum which focuses on outcomes-based education (OBE). This paper presents an exploration of what students (as learners) considered to be difficult and interesting in Grades 10-12 Life Sciences curricula in the Further Education and Training (FET) phase. A sample of 125 first year, pre-service Life Sciences and Natural Sciences teachers from a university...

  9. Creating a National HIV Curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spach, David H; Wood, Brian R; Karpenko, Andrew; Unruh, Kenton T; Kinney, Rebecca G; Roscoe, Clay; Nelson, John

    2016-01-01

    In recent years, the HIV care provider workforce has not kept pace with an expanding HIV epidemic. To effectively address this HIV workforce shortage, a multipronged approach is needed that includes high-quality, easily accessible, up-to-date HIV education for trainees and practicing providers. Toward this objective, the University of Washington, in collaboration with the AIDS Education and Training Center National Coordinating Resource Center, is developing a modular, dynamic curriculum that addresses the entire spectrum of the HIV care continuum. Herein, we outline the general principles, content, organization, and features of this federally funded National HIV Curriculum, which allows for longitudinal, active, self-directed learning, as well as real-time evaluation, tracking, and feedback at the individual and group level. The online curriculum, which is in development, will provide a free, comprehensive, interactive HIV training and resource tool that can support national efforts to expand and strengthen the United States HIV clinical care workforce. Copyright © 2016 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Wisdom as an Outcome of Critical Thinking in the School Curriculum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Phillip A. Towndrow

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract This article considers a way of enacting critical thinking in the school curriculum. An alternative to adopting a formal framework of critical thinking which may not be exhaustive or include desirable components, involves working towards the generation of wisdom—defined as the quality of having the experience, knowledge and insight to think and act aptly in a specific context for a particular purpose—as a way for learners to make meanings that potentially have personal and social significance. The article uses a real-world example to illustrate how critical thinking can be driven by inquiry and underpinned by explanation to demonstrate practical knowledge and understanding in specific circumstances. Keywords: wisdom, critical thinking, curriculum, instruction, task design, classroom practice

  11. Character education in schools implementing national curriculum and international baccalaureate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hotmaulina Sihotang

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the study was to evaluate the implementation of the character education program of Junior and Senior High School Victory Plus School using the national curriculum and International Baccalaureate. The research method used is mix method. The result of data analysis showed that the average self-concept score was 2.65 (less good; self-management is 2.73 (good; and social services is 2.73 (good in the implementation of courageous, honest, active, mindful, innovative, open minded, and nobel (champion value. The value of champion is relevant to the value of the national curriculum character but the value of hard work, religion, democracy, the spirit of nationality, and the love of the homeland have not yet appeared. The balanced and reflective values in the learner profile are not yet visible.

  12. Advising Practices: A Survey of Self-Access Learner Motivations and Preferences

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    Leander S. Hughes, Nathan P. Krug, and Stacey L. Vye

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Based on queries from students who frequently visit the English Resource Center (ERC at Saitama University, this research team set out to examine what motivational factors encourage ERC attendees to participate for an extended period of time in the Center on a regular basis. Initial indications are that social collaborative learning amongst peers at the Center is the most significant long-term motivational factor for students to become involved with learning English in the ERC. More specifically, this study explores factors that encourage these learners to become regular and perhaps more autonomous center participants in terms of advising practices such as (a what factors led students to their initial discovery of ERC, (b what inspired that very first visit, (c what encouraged learners to continue to attend the Center on a regular basis, (d what attendees value about the ERC, and finally (e what might be done to ensure that greater support is provided for students who come to the ERC for the first time.

  13. Development of Curriculum of Learning through Photograph

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Keiko; Aoki, Naokazu; Kobayashi, Hiroyuki

    A curriculum of an integrated learning using power of photography in the junior highschool was constructed, and was experimented in the class "Seminar for Photographic Expression" of the integrated learning at a junior high school. The center of the curriculum is viewing photographs and self-expression using photography. By comparing the results of questionnaires investigation between before and after the class it is suggested that the curriculum brings about increase in self-esteem, empathy, and motivation for learning. This educational effect is really to foster ability to live self-sufficient lives. On the basis of these results curriculums which can be conducted by anyone at every junior highschool were proposed.

  14. Curriculum reform and evolution: Innovative content and processes at one US medical school.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fischel, Janet E; Olvet, Doreen M; Iuli, Richard J; Lu, Wei-Hsin; Chandran, Latha

    2018-03-11

    Curriculum reform in medical schools continues to be an ever-present and challenging activity in medical education. This paper describes one school's experiences with specific curricular innovations that were developed or adapted and targeted to meet a clear set of curricular goals during the curriculum reform process. Those goals included: (a) promoting active learning and learner engagement; (b) establishing early professional identity; and (c) developing physician competencies in an integrated and contextual manner while allowing for individualized learning experiences for the millennial student. Six specific innovations championed by the school are described in detail. These included Themes in Medical Education, Translational Pillars, Stony Brook Teaching Families, Transition Courses, Educational Continuous Quality Improvement Processes, and our Career Advising Program. Development of the ideas and design of the innovations were done by faculty and student teams. We discuss successes and ongoing challenges with these innovations which are currently in the fourth year of implementation. Our curriculum reform has emphasized the iterative process of curriculum building. Based on our experience, we discuss general and practical guidelines for curriculum innovation in its three phases: setting the stage, implementation, and monitoring for the achievement of intended goals.

  15. The development of self-regulated learning during the pre-clinical stage of medical school: a comparison between a lecture-based and a problem-based curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lucieer, Susanna M; van der Geest, Jos N; Elói-Santos, Silvana M; de Faria, Rosa M Delbone; Jonker, Laura; Visscher, Chris; Rikers, Remy M J P; Themmen, Axel P N

    2016-03-01

    Society expects physicians to always improve their competencies and to be up to date with developments in their field. Therefore, an important aim of medical schools is to educate future medical doctors to become self-regulated, lifelong learners. However, it is unclear if medical students become better self-regulated learners during the pre-clinical stage of medical school, and whether students develop self-regulated learning skills differently, dependent on the educational approach of their medical school. In a cross-sectional design, we investigated the development of 384 medical students' self-regulated learning skills with the use of the Self-Regulation of Learning Self-Report Scale. Next, we compared this development in students who enrolled in two distinct medical curricula: a problem-based curriculum and a lectured-based curriculum. Analysis showed that more skills decreased than increased during the pre-clinical stage of medical school, and that the difference between the curricula was mainly caused by a decrease in the skill evaluation in the lecture-based curriculum. These findings seem to suggest that, irrespective of the curriculum, self-regulated learning skills do not develop during medical school.

  16. Emergency Medicine Curriculum: Complications of Pregnancy Small Group Module

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Linda L Herman

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Audience: This curriculum, created and implemented at Kaweah Delta HCD emergency medicine program, was designed to educate our emergency medicine (EM residents, PGY-1 to PGY-3, as well as medical students and attending physicians. Introduction: Obstetrical (OB emergencies pose a unique challenge to the EM physician. Given the relative rarity of these presentations within the Emergency Department (ED, it is important that residents are educated in a comprehensive manner to ensure understanding and retention.1 The exact prevalence of emergency department (ED visits that are associated with complications of pregnancy is unknown, but they are likely a sizeable portion of the patient population of the ED. Also, many hospitals in rural areas have closed their labor and delivery units due to higher operating costs and lack of available medical personnel.2 New models of high-quality teaching that ensure retention of clinically rare, but critical presentations are required. There is a body of research that suggests a small-group discussion model rather than traditional lecture-based content may improve learner engagement and retention. This model encourages active learning, which requires simultaneous instructor and learner engagement.3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Studies have revealed that the application of knowledge through case studies, personal interaction with content experts, and integrated questions are effective learning strategies for emergency medicine.3 The small group discussion classroom is facilitated by content experts with personal experience in the topic at hand. Objectives: We aim to teach the presentation and management of pregnancy complications through interactive teaching during small group discussions concerning patient cases. This curriculum utilizes resources chosen by education faculty, study questions, actual experience, and small group discussions in place of a traditional lecture-based format. In doing so, a goal of the curriculum is to

  17. Examining the Effect of Enactment of a Geospatial Curriculum on Students' Geospatial Thinking and Reasoning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bodzin, Alec M.; Fu, Qiong; Kulo, Violet; Peffer, Tamara

    2014-08-01

    A potential method for teaching geospatial thinking and reasoning (GTR) is through geospatially enabled learning technologies. We developed an energy resources geospatial curriculum that included learning activities with geographic information systems and virtual globes. This study investigated how 13 urban middle school teachers implemented and varied the enactment of the curriculum with their students and investigated which teacher- and student-level factors accounted for students' GTR posttest achievement. Data included biweekly implementation surveys from teachers and energy resources content and GTR pre- and posttest achievement measures from 1,049 students. Students significantly increased both their energy resources content knowledge and their GTR skills related to energy resources at the end of the curriculum enactment. Both multiple regression and hierarchical linear modeling found that students' initial GTR abilities and gain in energy content knowledge were significantly explanatory variables for their geospatial achievement at the end of curriculum enactment, p critical components of the curriculum or the number of years the teachers had taught the curriculum, did not have significant effects on students' geospatial posttest achievement. The findings from this study provide support that learning with geospatially enabled learning technologies can support GTR with urban middle-level learners.

  18. Electronic health record training in undergraduate medical education: bridging theory to practice with curricula for empowering patient- and relationship-centered care in the computerized setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wald, Hedy S; George, Paul; Reis, Shmuel P; Taylor, Julie Scott

    2014-03-01

    While electronic health record (EHR) use is becoming state-of-the-art, deliberate teaching of health care information technology (HCIT) competencies is not keeping pace with burgeoning use. Medical students require training to become skilled users of HCIT, but formal pedagogy within undergraduate medical education (UME) is sparse. How can medical educators best meet the needs of learners while integrating EHRs into medical education and practice? How can they help learners preserve and foster effective communication skills within the computerized setting? In general, how can UME curricula be devised for skilled use of EHRs to enhance rather than hinder provision of effective, humanistic health care?Within this Perspective, the authors build on recent publications that "set the stage" for next steps: EHR curricula innovation and implementation as concrete embodiments of theoretical underpinnings. They elaborate on previous calls for maximizing benefits and minimizing risks of EHR use with sufficient focus on physician-patient communication skills and for developing core competencies within medical education. The authors describe bridging theory into practice with systematic longitudinal curriculum development for EHR training in UME at their institution, informed by Kern and colleagues' curriculum development framework, narrative medicine, and reflective practice. They consider this innovation within a broader perspective-the overarching goal of empowering undergraduate medical students' patient- and relationship-centered skills while effectively demonstrating HCIT-related skills.

  19. Looking at the high ability/giftedness through the lens of curriculum studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soraia Napoleão Freitas

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available From diving in the educational field, either in teaching or research in Special Education, this article postulates bring visibility to a curricular discussion strongly marked by the educational practice of learners with high ability/giftedness and having the "lighthouse flag” the inclusion policy school principles, not just theorizing about the elements of the theme. Curriculum is understood as a territory of knowledge and power, so the manufacturing process of the curriculum in the wake of the inclusive hillside – a journey which aims to solidify egalitarian social link - can put up as an potentiating agent of different actions for the education of students with high ability/giftedness, protecting them from moments of discrimination, segregation and personal, family, school and social exclusion. Therefore, this article takes up an invitation to educators to look at the prerogatives of education that hosts students with high ability/giftedness with the lens of curriculum studies.

  20. Health promotion in medical education: lessons from a major undergraduate curriculum implementation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wylie, Ann; Leedham-Green, Kathleen

    2017-11-01

    Despite the economic, environmental and patient-related imperatives to prepare medical students to become health promoting doctors, health promotion remains relatively deprioritised in medical curricula. This paper uses an in-depth case study of a health promotion curriculum implementation at a large UK medical school to provide insights into the experiences of teachers and learners across a range of topics, pedagogies, and teaching & assessment modalities. Topics included smoking cessation, behavioural change approaches to obesity, exercise prescribing, social prescribing, maternal and child health, public and global health; with pedagogies ranging from e-learning to practice-based project work. Qualitative methods including focus groups, analysis of reflective learning submissions, and evaluation data are used to illuminate motivations, frustrations, practicalities, successes and limiting factors. Over this three year implementation, a range of challenges have been highlighted including: how adequately to prepare and support clinical teachers; the need to establish relevance and importance to strategic learners; the need for experiential learning in clinical environments to support classroom-based activities; and the need to rebalance competing aspects of the curriculum. Conclusions are drawn about heterogeneous deep learning over standardised surface learning, and the impacts, both positive and negative, of different assessment modalities on these types of learning.

  1. A New Energy-Centered Curriculum for Community College Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Kevin; Haung, Jingrong; Zwicker, Andrew

    2010-11-01

    For many years, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory's (PPPL) science education program has run ``Energy in the 21^st Century'' workshops for K-12 teachers and students. These workshops have focused on non fossil fuel sources of energy including solar, hydrogen fuel cells, and fusion. A new program was recently started at a local community college focusing on these same topics. In the first year, new labs will be woven into the existing physics curriculum. These labs explore advantages and disadvantages of each energy source. The goals of the program include increasing students' interest in science with the expectation that they will pursue higher education at a four year college and beyond. In future years, this program will be expanded to include other topics throughout the existing curriculum. This is just the start of expanding the level of education offered at the local community college.

  2. Effectiveness of a quality improvement curriculum for medical students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kimberly M. Tartaglia

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: As health systems find ways to improve quality of care, medical training programs are finding opportunities to prepare learners on principles of quality improvement (QI. The impact of QI curricula for medical students as measured by student learning is not well delineated. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a QI curriculum for senior medical students as measured by student knowledge and skills. Methods: This study was an observational study that involved a self-assessment and post-test Quality Improvement Knowledge Application Tool (QIKAT for intervention and control students. A QI curriculum consisting of online modules, live discussions, independent readings and reflective writing, and participation in a mentored QI project was offered to fourth-year medical students completing an honor's elective (intervention group. Senior medical students who received the standard QI curriculum only were recruited as controls. Results: A total of 22 intervention students and 12 control students completed the self-assessment and QIKAT. At baseline, there was no difference between groups in self-reported prior exposure to QI principles. Students in the intervention group reported more comfort with their skills in QI overall and in 9 of the 12 domains (p<0.05. Additionally, intervention students performed better in each of the three case scenarios (p<0.01. Discussion: A brief QI curriculum for senior medical students results in improved comfort and knowledge with QI principles. The strengths of our curriculum include effective use of classroom time and faculty mentorship with reliance on pre-existing online modules and written resources. Additionally, the curriculum is easily expandable to larger groups of students and transferable to other institutions.

  3. Researching Oral Production Skills of Young Learners

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    Magdalena Szpotowicz

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This chapter focuses on the development of young learners’ ability to communicate in a foreign language. An empirical study was carried out to determine whether, after four years of learning English as a compulsory school subject, children are ready to engage in oral interaction in a semicontrolled task and produce answers and questions in English. A convenience sample of ten-year-old children was selected from 180 participants in ELLiE2 in Poland. Six learners from one class of each of seven schools were selected on the basis of teachers’ reports to ensure equal proportions of learners with low, medium and high ability. Schools were chosen to represent different socio-economic milieux. The results of the Year Four oral test (an interactive task showed that almost all the participating childrencould respond to questions but only half were able to ask questions.Considering generally positive attitudes to speaking activities, the results suggest that ten-year-old children are already developing their interactive skills and could benefit from more interaction-focused classroom activities. Further experimental classroom-based studies are necessary to gain better insight into potential oral achievements in this age group. The results are discussed in the context of national curriculum requirements, drawing on the Common European Framework of Reference level descriptors.

  4. Downtown Study Centre: An Open-Ended ABE Program in an Urban Shopping Mall

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrison, David

    1976-01-01

    Describes an adult basic education facility after one year of operation in an urban shopping mall in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. The center is an informal open-ended classroom and advising center where part-time adult learners study an individualized curriculum. Summarizes the major findings of a program evaluation. (EM)

  5. The Impact of a Geospatial Technology-Supported Energy Curriculum on Middle School Students' Science Achievement

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    Kulo, Violet; Bodzin, Alec

    2013-02-01

    Geospatial technologies are increasingly being integrated in science classrooms to foster learning. This study examined whether a Web-enhanced science inquiry curriculum supported by geospatial technologies promoted urban middle school students' understanding of energy concepts. The participants included one science teacher and 108 eighth-grade students classified in three ability level tracks. Data were gathered through pre/posttest content knowledge assessments, daily classroom observations, and daily reflective meetings with the teacher. Findings indicated a significant increase in the energy content knowledge for all the students. Effect sizes were large for all three ability level tracks, with the middle and low track classes having larger effect sizes than the upper track class. Learners in all three tracks were highly engaged with the curriculum. Curriculum effectiveness and practical issues involved with using geospatial technologies to support science learning are discussed.

  6. Learner Satisfaction in Online Learning: An Analysis of the Perceived Impact of Learner-Social Media and Learner-Instructor Interaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersen, Jeffery C.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between general course satisfaction, learner-instructor interaction, and the learner-social media interaction scores of participants. This study used an online survey with 60 questions to gather the participants' demographic data, learner-instructor interaction data, learner-social…

  7. The Impact of Digital Storytelling on EFL Learners' Oracy Skills and Motivation

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    Abdorreza Tahriri

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available The present study was conducted to investigate the impact of digital storytelling (DST on EFL learners' oracy skills and their motivation towards the use of DST instruction. Thirty intermediate EFL learners were selected based on their performance on an Oxford Placement Test (OPT and were randomly assigned into two groups (one control and one experimental group each containing 15 participants. Three instruments, listening and speaking tests as pre-post tests, and a motivation questionnaire, were utilized to assess the participants’ oracy skills prior to and after the experiment. To analyze the data, Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA were run. According to the findings of the study, DST participants outperformed the control group in terms of oracy skills and motivation after the treatment. The findings highlighted the need for instruction through the implementation of digital software as a vital component of language instruction that is recommended to be taken into consideration in EFL curriculum.

  8. The Study of Literacy Reinforcement of Science Teachers in Implementing 2013 Curriculum

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    Dewi, W. S.; Festiyed, F.; Hamdi, H.; Sari, S. Y.

    2018-04-01

    This research aims to study and collect data comprehensively, new and actual about science literacy to improve the ability of educators in implementing the 2013 Curriculum at Junior High School Padang Pariaman District. The specific benefit of this research is to give description and to know the problem of science literacy problem in interaction among teacher, curriculum, facilities and infrastructure, evaluation, learning technology and students. This study uses explorative in deep study approach, studying and collecting data comprehensively from the interaction of education process components (curriculum, educator, learner, facilities and infrastructure, learning media technology, and evaluation) that influence the science literacy. This research was conducted in the districts of Padang Pariaman consisting of 17 subdistricts and 84 junior high schools managed by the government and private. The sample of this research is science teachers of Padang Pariaman District with sampling technique is stratified random sampling. The instrument used in this study is a questionnaire to the respondents. Research questionnaire data are processed by percentage techniques (quantitative). The results of this study explain that the understanding of science teachers in Padang Pariaman District towards the implementation of 2013 Curriculum is still lacking. The science teachers of Padang Pariaman District have not understood the scientific approach and the effectiveness of 2013 Curriculum in shaping the character of the students. To improve the understanding of the implementation of Curriculum 2013, it is necessary to strengthen the literacy toward science teachers at the Junior High School level in Padang Pariaman District.

  9. Thai Learners’ Linguistic Needs and Language Skills: Implications for Curriculum Development

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    Mark B. Ulla

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Learners’ success in language learning always has implications for curriculum and instruction. Thus, it is important to take into account the kinds of learning experiences that these learners will find helpful in learning English as a foreign language; and, highlight them when planning a curriculum and adapting classroom activities. This study, with 72 first year engineering students, 3 English for Specific Purposes (ESP teachers of King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT Ratchaburi, and 3 other stakeholders as respondents, aimed to identify the Thai engineering students’ linguistic needs and the language skills needed for them to get a job in the future. It also assessed whether the linguistic needs and the language skills required for the students were addressed in the curriculum. Methods used in this study were modified questionnaire, focus groups and semistructured individual interviews. Findings revealed that students wanted to go abroad and to be successful in their future careers; thus, considered speaking as the most important skill to be developed and should be emphasized in their English classes. Students preferred to learn through engaging classroom activities and strategies, exposure to the language, and use of technology in the classroom. However, the ESP curriculum did not provide these linguistic needs and language skills.

  10. An Exploration of Hispanic Mothers' Culturally Sustaining Experiences at an Informal Science Center

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    Weiland, Ingrid

    2015-01-01

    Science education reform focuses on learner-centered instruction within contexts that support learners' sociocultural experiences. The purpose of this study was to explore Hispanic mothers' experiences as accompanying adults at an informal science center within the context of culturally sustaining experiences, which include the fluidity…

  11. Eating the curriculum.

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    Hunter, K M

    1997-03-01

    The alimentary metaphor--learning as ingestion--is well established in medical education: students are spoonfed, forcefed; they cram, digest, and metabolize information; and they regurgitate it on tests. In the author's experience, these metaphors are inextricably bound with the attitudes and information they describe, organize, and sometimes generate in medical education. Alimentary imagery shapes discussions of the curriculum, and its perversities characterize and help perpetuate much that needs changing in North American medical education. Medical school teachers speak of their life's work as feeding students, not as chiefs but as the anxious caretakers of problem eaters, and the images used most often to describe the teacher-learner relationship suggest an underlying infantilization of medical students. Alimentary metaphors are not in themselves evil. A closer look at medicine's uses of the metaphor of learning as eating suggests a healthier educational philosophy. Despite the "full plate" that students are served, they are metaphorically starving. Fundamental curriculum reform should help them learn to be healthy eaters-using lessons from parents, pediatricians, and child psychologists about how to do this, which are discussed in detail. The difficult-to-achieve but imperative goal of medical education should be to put students in charge of their own "eating" and thereby produce intellectually curious, self-motivated, active, and "well-nourished" physicians who know how to feed themselves in the right amounts and at reasonable levels, maintain a healthy skepticism about the information they consume, and periodically check that information for freshness.

  12. Longitudinal retention of anatomical knowledge in second-year medical students

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    Doomernik, D.E.; Goor, H. van; Kooloos, J.G.M.; Broek, R.P. ten

    2017-01-01

    The Radboud University Medical Center has a problem-based, learner-oriented, horizontally, and vertically integrated medical curriculum. Anatomists and clinicians have noticed students' decreasing anatomical knowledge and the disability to apply knowledge in diagnostic reasoning and problem solving.

  13. Supporting Online Learners: Blending High-Tech with High-Touch

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    Dolan, Sean; Donohue, Chip; Holstrom, Lisa; Pernell, Latonia; Sachdev, Anu

    2009-01-01

    Effective and easily accessible student support services are essential to the success of adult learners. A student-centered approach is especially important in the design and delivery of online courses, professional certificates, and degree programs for early childhood professionals. A student-first approach is essential for non-traditional adult…

  14. Why Do Learners Choose Online Learning: The Learners' Voices

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    Ilgaz, Hale; Gulbahar, Yasemin

    2017-01-01

    Offering many advantages to adult learners, e-Learning is now being recognized--and preferred--by more and more people, resulting in an increased number of distance learners in recent years. Numerous research studies focus on learner preferences for online learning, with most converging around the individual characteristics and differences, if not…

  15. Student teachers' perceptions about their experiences in a student centered course

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    Canan Perkan Zeki

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available There is a growing need to provide curricula that meets the changing needs of students in higher education. To train pre-service teachers according to the demands of the new educational contexts, the move from teacher-centered curricula to learning-centered curricula is a must. The aim of this research is to examine the currently used curriculum of EGIT 450 Student Centered Education (SCE course to highlight suggestions for a better design and implementation of the SCE approach. A qualitative paradigm was used with an interpretive methodology. The participants of the study were the 37 third year undergraduate students enrolled in the course at one of the tertiary institutions in North Cyprus. Qualitative data were collected through end-of-the-semester reflective essays and analyzed through content analysis method. The findings revealed that SCE methodology helped improve student teachers' cognitive skills via holding an active role and their affective skills through group work activities emphasizing its effect on permanent learning and learning how to learn. Participants also pointed out the difficulty and complexity of the roles expected from the teacher and learners individually and cooperatively. The inefficiency of some of the teaching-learning activities, physical characteristics of the classroom setting and duration of the allocated time for the activities were among the weak aspects of the course.

  16. Whose voice matters? Learners

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    Sarah Bansilal

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available International and national mathematics studies have revealed the poor mathematics skills of South African learners. An essential tool that can be used to improve learners' mathematical skills is for educators to use effective feedback. Our purpose in this study was to elicit learners' understanding and expectations of teacher assessment feedback. The study was conducted with five Grade 9 mathematics learners. Data were generated from one group interview, seven journal entries by each learner, video-taped classroom observations and researcher field notes. The study revealed that the learners have insightful perceptions of the concept of educator feedback. While some learners viewed educator feedback as a tool to probe their understanding, others viewed it as a mechanism to get the educator's point of view. A significant finding of the study was that learners viewed educator assessment feedback as instrumental in building or breaking their self-confidence.

  17. The Effects of Applying Betts’ Autonomous Learner Model on Iranian Students

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    Nahid Yarahmadzehi

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Classroom-based, teacher-directed language learning has been dominant in language teaching and learning for decades; however, the notion of autonomy is not novel to language teachers. Since the publication of Holec’s book, Autonomy and Foreign Language Learning (1981, autonomy in language learning has been a significant issue for discussion in relation to language learning practices and language teaching principles. Many ESL researchers have turned their attention to learner autonomy in classroom settings; however, learner autonomy in the Iranian context within self-access settings, classroom settings, and school curriculum has not been adequately addressed in the literature. To fill the research gap mentioned above, the present study aims to determine: 1. if Betts’s Autonomous Learner Model (Betts & Kercher, 1999 has any significant effect in terms of students’ self-directed learning readiness, and 2. if Betts’s Autonomous Learner Model has any significant effect on students’ English language proficiency. Adopting a quasi-experimental design, the study involved a comparison between the experimental and the control group. Two instruments were used: Gugliemino’s (1977 Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS; and standardized TOEFL test. 30 students (group A were taught English based on a pedagogical model, which blended Betts’s ALM with classroom instruction and 30 students (group B were taught through a traditional teacher-directed method. Finally, after six months of treatment, TOEFL test and SDLRS test were administered as the post-test and the results were analyzed by means of SPSS software. The results showed that ALM can work with Iranian students as evidenced by generally average performance on SDLRS and TOEFL post-tests.

  18. Documenting clinical performance problems among medical students: feedback for learner remediation and curriculum enhancement

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    Brian E. Mavis

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: We operationalized the taxonomy developed by Hauer and colleagues describing common clinical performance problems. Faculty raters pilot tested the resulting worksheet by observing recordings of problematic simulated clinical encounters involving third-year medical students. This approach provided a framework for structured feedback to guide learner improvement and curricular enhancement. Methods: Eighty-two problematic clinical encounters from M3 students who failed their clinical competency examination were independently rated by paired clinical faculty members to identify common problems related to the medical interview, physical examination, and professionalism. Results: Eleven out of 26 target performance problems were present in 25% or more encounters. Overall, 37% had unsatisfactory medical interviews, with ‘inadequate history to rule out other diagnoses’ most prevalent (60%. Seventy percent failed because of physical examination deficiencies, with missing elements (69% and inadequate data gathering (69% most common. One-third of the students did not introduce themselves to their patients. Among students failing based on standardized patient (SP ratings, 93% also failed to demonstrate competency based on the faculty ratings. Conclusions: Our review form allowed clinical faculty to validate pass/fail decisions based on standardized patient ratings. Detailed information about performance problems contributes to learner feedback and curricular enhancement to guide remediation planning and faculty development.

  19. On-line Delivery for Serbo-Croatian (Bosniac, Croatian, Serbian: Tailoring Technology to the Learner

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    Danko Sipka

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Tbis paper discusses the project of full on-line delivery of an introductory Serbo-Croatian (Bosniac, Croatian, Serbian course at the Arizona State University Critical Languages Institute. The issue of tailoring technology to meet diversified needs of a wide range of learners (from heritage speakers of the three Serbo-Croatian speaking ethnic communities to professional non-heritage learners is in the center of the discussion.

  20. Learner corpus profiles the case of Romanian learner English

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    Chitez, Madalina

    2014-01-01

    The first three chapters of the book offer relevant information on the new methodological approach, learner corpus profiling, and the exemplifying case, Romanian Learner English. The description of the Romanian Corpus of Learner English is also given special attention. The following three chapters include corpus-based frequency analyses of selected grammatical categories (articles, prepositions, genitives), combined with error analyses. In the concluding discussion, the book summarizes the features compiled as lexico-grammatical profiles.

  1. Curriculum Evaluation and Employers Opinions: the case study of Educational Technology Program in Bachelor Degree (Continuing Program

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    Nakhon Lalognam

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The purposes of this research were: 1 to evaluate the Educational Technology Program (Continuing Program in Bachelor Degree curriculum which is revised in 2007 by applying CIPP model for evaluation. 2 to study the opinions of the employers about the ideal characteristics and actual characteristics of graduates. 3 to study the opinions for the requirements of the Educational Technology Program in Bachelor Degree (Continuing Program and knowledge implementation in work of graduates. 4 to make the suggestions and guidelines to improve the Educational Technology Program in Bachelor Degree (Continuing Program to achieve potentiality and responsive for the requirements of learners and employers. The sample of this research were 310 persons ; consisted of graduates in the Educational Technology Program in Bachelor Degree (Continuing Program in academic year 2006 - 2010, the committee of the Educational Technology Program in Bachelor Degree (Continuing Program , instructors and employers by using Multi-stage Random Sampling and Simple Random Sampling. The instruments of this research were the 5 levels rating scale questionnaire and the structured interview type. They consisted of 3 sets: 1 for graduates, 2 for the committee of the Educational Technology Program in Bachelor Degree (Continuing Program and 3 for instructors and employers. The research found that: 1. The results of evaluation on the Educational Technology Program in Bachelor Degree (Continuing Program which is revised in 2007 were: 1.1 The opinions of graduates to curriculum in all of aspects were average at the uncertain level which the context aspect was at the high level, input aspect was at the uncertain level, process aspect was at the uncertain level and product aspect was at the high level. 1.2 The opinions of the curriculum committee and instructors to curriculum in all of aspects were average at the high level which the context aspect was at the high level, input aspect was at the

  2. Learner Personas in CALL

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heift, Trude

    2007-01-01

    In examining the titles of this year's conference presentations, the author noticed quite a few papers that focus on learner-specific issues, for instance, papers that address learning styles, learner needs, personality and learning, learner modeling and, more generally, pedagogical issues that deal with individual learner differences in…

  3. The High/Scope Preschool Curriculum: What Is It? Why Use It?

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    Schweinhart, Lawrence J.; Weikart, David P.; Hohmann, Mary

    2002-01-01

    Describes the High/Scope Preschool Curriculum, an approach that supports young children's learning and enables children, particularly those at risk, to achieve greater school success and adult socioeconomic status. Discusses the central principles of curriculum: active learning, positive adult-child interactions, child-centered learning…

  4. English reading and writing performance of Xitsonga-speaking Grade 7 learners in township schools: A case study

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    Manyike, Tintswalo V.

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available A clear preference for English as language of teaching and learning (LoLT is evident in most South African schools. However, discrepancies exist between language policy aims and educational outcomes with regard to the successful acquisition of English among English second language (ESL learners. Effective participation in all learning activities is closely linked to learners’ proficiency in the LoLT; poor English proficiency leads to underachievement across the curriculum. In the light of this, a case study as conducted to investigate the English reading and writing performance of Grade 7 Xitsonga-speaking learners in three selected township schools in the Tshwane metropolitan area, Gauteng Province. Firstly, a literature review was undertaken to explore the importance of reading and writing skills in the classroom with particular reference to the demands made on ESL learners. Following this, standardised tests were used to assess the learners’ English reading and writing performance. Findings indicated that learners performed poorly in both reading and writing; however, no significant relationship could be demonstrated between reading and writing, possibly due to the nature of the components of the test. The overall lack of reading and writing competence in English holds implications for learners’ academic achievement in all learning areas in situations in which English is used as the LoLT.

  5. Can pluralistic approaches based upon unknown languages enhance learner engagement and lead to active social inclusion?

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    Dahm, Rebecca

    2017-08-01

    One way to foster active social inclusion is to enable students to develop a positive attitude to "foreignness". Creating a situation where mainstream students are less wary of foreign languages and cultures, and where newcomers feel their linguistic background is being valued, provides favourable conditions for the inclusion of these newcomers in the classroom and in society. However, language classrooms in French schools rarely take any previously acquired linguistic knowledge into account, thus unconsciously contributing to the rift between multilingual learners (e.g. 1st- and 2nd-generation immigrant children, refugees, children of parents with different mother tongues) and French learners. Native French learners' first experience of learning another language is usually when English is added as a subject to their curriculum in primary school. In some schools in France, English lessons now include the simulation of multilingual situations, designed in particular for the French "quasi-monolingual" students to lose their fear of unknown languages and "foreignness" in general. But the overall aim is to help both groups of learners become aware of the positive impact of multilingualism on cognitive abilities. However, to achieve long-term effects, this awareness-raising needs to be accompanied by maximum engagement on the part of the students. This article explores an instructional strategy termed Pluralistic Approaches based upon Unknown Languages (PAUL), which was designed to develop learning strategies of quasi-monolingual students in particular and to increase learner engagement more generally. The results of a small-scale PAUL study discussed by the author seem to confirm an increase in learner engagement leading to an enhancement of learning outcomes. Moreover, PAUL seems indeed suitable for helping to prepare the ground for social inclusion.

  6. Revising and Updating the Plant Science Components of the Connecticut Vocational Agriculture Curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Connecticut Univ., Storrs. Dept. of Educational Leadership.

    This curriculum guide provides the plant science components of the vocational agriculture curriculum for Regional Vocational Agriculture Centers. The curriculum is divided into exploratory units for students in the 9th and 10th grades and specialized units for students in grades 11 and 12. The five exploratory units are: agricultural pest control;…

  7. Using Learner-Centered, Simulation-Based Training to Improve Medical Students’ Procedural Skills

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    Serkan Toy

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a learner-centered, simulation-based training developed to help medical students improve their procedural skills in intubation, arterial line placement, lumbar puncture, and central line insertion. Method: The study participants were second and third year medical students. Anesthesiology residents provided the training and evaluated students’ procedural skills. Two residents were present at each station to train the medical students who rotated through all 4 stations. Pre/posttraining assessment of confidence, knowledge, and procedural skills was done using a survey, a multiple-choice test, and procedural checklists, respectively. Results: In total, 24 students were trained in six 4-hour sessions. Students reported feeling significantly more confident, after training, in performing all 4 procedures on a real patient ( P < .001. Paired-samples t tests indicated statistically significant improvement in knowledge scores for intubation, t (23 = −2.92, P < .001, and arterial line placement, t (23 = −2.75, P < .001. Procedural performance scores for intubation ( t (23 = −17.29, P < .001, arterial line placement ( t (23 = −19.75, P < .001, lumbar puncture ( t (23 = −16.27, P < .001, and central line placement ( t (23 = −17.25, P < .001 showed significant improvement. Intraclass correlation coefficients indicated high reliability in checklist scores for all procedures. Conclusions: The simulation sessions allowed each medical student to receive individual attention from 2 residents for each procedure. Students’ written comments indicated that this training modality was well received. Results showed that medical students improved their self-confidence, knowledge, and skills in the aforementioned procedures.

  8. Integrating Student-Centered Learning in Finance Courses: The Case of a Malaysian Research University

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    Janor, Hawati; Rahim, Ruzita Abdul; Rahman, Aisyah Abdul; Auzairy, Noor Azryani; Hashim, Noor Azuan; Yusof, Muhamad Zain

    2013-01-01

    The student-centered learning (SCL) approach is an approach to education that focuses on learners and their needs, rather than relying upon the input of the teacher's. The present paper examines how the SCL approach is integrated as a learner-centered paradigm into finance courses offered at a business school in a research university in Malaysia.…

  9. Innovative patient-centered skills training addressing challenging issues in cancer communications: Using patient's stories that teach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bishop, Thomas W; Gorniewicz, James; Floyd, Michael; Tudiver, Fred; Odom, Amy; Zoppi, Kathy

    2016-05-01

    This workshop demonstrated the utility of a patient-centered web-based/digital Breaking Bad News communication training module designed to educate learners of various levels and disciplines. This training module is designed for independent, self-directed learning as well as group instruction. These interactive educational interventions are based upon video-recorded patient stories. Curriculum development was the result of an interdisciplinary, collaborative effort involving faculty from the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) Graduate Storytelling Program and the departments of Family and Internal Medicine at the James H. Quillen College of Medicine. The specific goals of the BBN training module are to assist learners in: (1) understanding a five-step patient-centered model that is based upon needs, preferences, and expectations of patients with cancer and (2) individualizing communication that is consistent with patient preferences in discussing emotions, informational detail, prognosis and timeline, and whether or not to discuss end-of-life issues. The pedagogical approach to the training module is to cycle through Emotional Engagement, Data, Modeled Practices, Adaptation Opportunities, and Feedback. The communication skills addressed are rooted in concepts found within the Reaching Common Ground communication training. A randomized control study investigating the effectiveness of the Breaking Bad News module found that medical students as well as resident physicians improved their communication skills as measured by an Objective Structured Clinical Examination. Four other similarly designed modules were also created: Living Through Treatment, Transitions: From Curable to Treatable/From Treatable to End-of-Life, Spirituality, and Family. © The Author(s) 2016.

  10. The "Human Colour" Crayon: Investigating the Attitudes and Perceptions of Learners regarding Race and Skin Colour

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    Neeske Alexander

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Some coloured and black learners in South Africa use a light orange or pink crayon to represent themselves in art. Many learners name this colour “human colour” or “skin colour”. This is troublesome, because it could reflect exclusionary ways of representing race in images and language. This case study, conducted with two schools in the Western Cape, investigated Grade 3 learners’ attitudes and perceptions regarding race and skin colour through art processes and discussion. The aim was to promote critical engagement with race in Foundation Phase educational contexts. Suggestions include changing the language used to describe skin colour, just recognition and representation of races in educational resources and the promotion of critical citizenship education. This research indicates the need to create practical curriculum guidelines to discuss race issues in the South African classroom.

  11. Derivational morphology and Serbian EFL learners: Three perspectives on the acquisition process

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    Dimitrijević-Savić Jovana V.

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Although it has long been an under-researched topic in the field of applied linguistics, morphological knowledge is nowadays regarded as a key component of vocabulary acquisition. The past two decades have witnessed a proliferation of studies of both L1 and L2 learning contexts which shed light on various issues, ranging from morphological processing to receptive/productive knowledge of derivational and inflectional morphology. However, investigations into the acquisition of English morphology by Serbian EFL learners have, to our knowledge, been scarce. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to explore the productive derivational knowledge of upper-intermediate Serbian EFL learners by means of three different instruments: a test focusing on the knowledge of the four main word family members (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, a test of cognate and non-cognate derivatives employing six cognate English-Serbian suffixes (-ous/-oz(an, -ize/-izovati, -ation/-acija -ism/-iz(am, -ist/-ist(a, -ity/-itet and a contextualized word-formation skill test. A combination of a qualitative and quantitative approach to data analysis has revealed the difficulties Serbian EFL learners have been experiencing in their morphology/vocabulary classes and it has enabled us to identify common mistakes and weak spots. Our results have pedagogical implications and could be put to use in curriculum design and methodology.

  12. A structured self-directed basic skills curriculum results in improved technical performance in the absence of expert faculty teaching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Andrew S; McKenzie, Jill; Tsigonis, Abraham; Jensen, Aaron R; Figueredo, Edgar J; Kim, Sara; Horvath, Karen

    2012-06-01

    We developed a novel curriculum teaching 20 open surgical skills in 5 general domains (instrument handling, knot tying, simple wound closure, advanced wound closure, and hemostasis). The curriculum includes online didactics, skills practice, and defined performance metrics, but is entirely self-guided with no expert oversight or teaching. Subjects included first- and second-year medical students (n = 9). Subjects first viewed a demonstration video depicting proper technique. The pretest was video-recorded performance of each skill. Subjects then completed the self-guided skills curriculum at their own pace, returning for posttesting once they met defined self-assessment criteria. Performance was evaluated through both self-assessment and blinded video review by 2 expert reviewers using previously validated scales. After completion of the curriculum, performance improved significantly by both self-assessment (3,754 ± 1,742 to 6,496 ± 1,337; P performance was significantly better for all domains by self-assessment (P instrument handling). Completion of a self-guided basic surgical skills curriculum allows novice learners to significantly improve performance in basic open surgical skills, without traditional expert teaching. This curriculum is useful for medical students and incoming junior residents. Copyright © 2012 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Focus on Form, Learner Uptake and Subsequent Lexical Gains in Learners' Oral Production

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    Alcon-Soler, Eva

    2009-01-01

    This descriptive study reports findings on the relationship between focus on form, learner uptake and subsequent lexical gains in learners' oral production. The data for the study consisted in 17 45-minute audio-recorded teacher-led conversations, 204 learners' diaries (17 sessions x 12 learners) reporting what they had learned after each…

  14. Building Astronomy Curriculum to Include the Sight Impaired: Week long summer camp activities for Middle School Students adherent to Washington State Curriculum Standards (EALR's)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramien, Natalie; Loebman, S. R.; Player, V.; Larson, A.; Torcolini, N. B.; Traverse, A.

    2011-01-01

    Currently astronomy learning is heavily geared towards visual aids; however, roughly 10 million people in North America are sight impaired. Every student should have access to meaningful astronomy curriculum; an understanding of astronomy is an expectation of national and state science learning requirements. Over the last ten years, Noreen Grice has developed Braille and large print astronomy text books aimed at sight impaired learners. We build upon Grice's written work and present here a five day lesson plan that integrates 2D reading with 3D activities. Through this curriculum, students develop an intuitive understanding of astronomical distance, size, composition and lifetimes. We present five distinct lesson modules that can be taught individually or in a sequential form: the planets, our sun, stars, stellar evolution and galaxies. We have tested these modules on sight impaired students and report the results here. Overall, we find the work presented here lends itself equally well to a week long science camp geared toward middle school sight impaired taught by astronomers or as supplemental material integrated into a regular classroom science curriculum. This work was made possible by a 2007 Simple Effective Education and Dissemination (SEED) Grant For Astronomy Researchers, Astronomical Society of the Pacific through funds provided by the Planck Mission, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology.

  15. A Discourse On Broadband Technologies And Curriculum Access In Elective Home Learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew MCAVOY

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The extent, to which broadband technologies are being considered, when accessing the curriculum, is increasingly evident in traditional learning environments such as schools and colleges. This article explores the impact that these technologies are having on the home schooling community by offering enhanced access and opportunities. It suggests that they have generated improved choices and greater freedoms for learning communities. They have shone a light on the curriculum and removed it from the shadows. The curriculum is no longer the preserve of the educational establishment. The secret garden has been breached by technologies such as broadband and the democratisation of the curriculum is progressively evident as more diverse learning communities are given increased access and control over the curriculum. The author asks how this is being reflected in policy and translated into practice by the home schooling community whilst acknowledging the contemporary nature of broadband technologies and how they are influencing the decision making process of potential home schoolers. Looking to the future, the author suggests that the political agenda is not providing clear direction and that this is being determined by social reform outside the political sphere and largely driven by the consumer. In this case the learner. The relatively current nature of this debate is in itself justification for further research if we are to develop a clearer understanding of how new technologies such as broadband are influencing policy and practice in the home schooling community.

  16. Working with language learner histories from three perspectives: Teachers, learners and researchers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah Mercer

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Recent developments in SLA, such as learner-centredness, social constructivism, the postmethod era, and complexity perspectives, have highlighted the need for more localized, situated understandings of teaching and learning and greater recognition of learner individuality and diversity. In this article, I suggest an effective way of meeting these needs is to employ learner histories. This powerful form of writing allows learners to use their L2 to engage in authentic, personally meaningful communication with others about their identities, experiences, perceptions and emotions related to their language learning histories. As a text type, they are able to facilitate a more holistic perspective of the learner’s life and reveal the unique interconnections that an individual makes across various domains. They also enable the situated, contextualised and dynamic nature of their learning experiences to become apparent and provide learners with a genuine, motivating purpose for writing. Exploring data generated in Austria with tertiary-level EFL learners, I seek to illustrate some of the rich potential of these text types from three perspectives, namely, those of the teacher, learner and researcher.

  17. Curriculum Integration in Distance Learning at Primary and Secondary Educational Levels on the Example of eTwinning Projects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elżbieta Gajek

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Curriculum integration is one of the concepts which has been discussed for years. Telecollaborative projects, which employ elements of distance learning, provide opportunities for putting the idea into practice. Analysis of eTwinning projects undertaken in Polish schools aims at demonstrating the integrative role of distance learning approaches and their contribution to integration of various themes in educational context. As the eTwinning framework is very flexible, allowing for teacher and students autonomy the projects may vary in the topics, age and number of participants, duration scope within curriculum etc. The study shows various levels and perspectives of curriculum integration which take place in eTwinning projects. It also discusses the role of distance learning at primary and secondary educational levels. The challenge is to transform international collaboration of selected schools an everyday practice for all learners and teachers.

  18. Combining Critical Reflection and Design Thinking to Develop Integrative Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welsh, M. Ann; Dehler, Gordon E.

    2013-01-01

    In this article, we argue for advancing grounded curricula, which explicitly link theory and pedagogy, and executing them in authentic and multidisciplinary settings as a means to facilitate student growth into integrative learners. We describe the development of a student-centered learning experience that combines elements of critical management…

  19. Health leadership education programs, best practices, and impact on learners' knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors and system change: a literature review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Careau E

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Emmanuelle Careau,1 Gjin Biba,1 Rosemary Brander,2 Janice P Van Dijk,2 Sarita Verma,3 Margo Paterson,2 Maria Tassone31Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Université Laval, Québec, QC, 2Office of Interprofessional Education and Practice, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, 3Centre for Interprofessional Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaBackground: A review of the literature was undertaken by the Canadian Interprofessional Health Leadership Collaborative to investigate the content and competencies of health education programs that teach collaborative leadership and to inform the development of an international collaborative leadership curriculum.Methods: A PubMed and Google Scholar search identified the frequency of key leadership education program terms and was adjusted for six major databases. From the 2,119 references, 250 were selected in a double-blinded manner. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed to determine the patterns, types, learners, models, and competencies addressed. Cross-tabulation and analysis of correlation identified best practices and impacts on learners' knowledge, skills, attitudes/behaviors, and on health system change.Results: Four types of leadership models were formally identified, ie, traditional leadership, transformational leadership, clinical leadership, and collaborative leadership. The most identified competencies were interprofessional communication, knowledge on how to work in teams and across disciplines, and financial knowledge. The least addressed topics were social accountability and community engagement. Only 6.8% of the articles reviewed assessed the effectiveness of their program based on patient-centered outcomes and 3.6% on system change.Conclusion: This literature review focused on 250 health leadership education programs reported in peer-reviewed journals to address important questions about the competencies, best practices

  20. Learner's Guide: Water Quality Monitoring. An Instructional Guide for the Two-Year Water Quality Monitoring Curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glazer, Richard B.; And Others

    This learner's guide is designed to meet the training needs for technicians involved in monitoring activities related to the Federal Water Pollution Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. In addition it will assist technicians in learning how to perform process control laboratory procedures for drinking water and wastewater treatment plant…

  1. Assessing learning outcomes and cost effectiveness of an online sleep curriculum for medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bandla, Hari; Franco, Rose A; Simpson, Deborah; Brennan, Kimberly; McKanry, Jennifer; Bragg, Dawn

    2012-08-15

    Sleep disorders are highly prevalent across all age groups but often remain undiagnosed and untreated, resulting in significant health consequences. To overcome an inadequacy of available curricula and learner and instructor time constraints, this study sought to determine if an online sleep medicine curriculum would achieve equivalent learner outcomes when compared with traditional, classroom-based, face-to-face instruction at equivalent costs. Medical students rotating on a required clinical clerkship received instruction in 4 core clinical sleep-medicine competency domains in 1 of 2 delivery formats: a single 2.5-hour face-to-face workshop or 4 asynchronous e-learning modules. Immediate learning outcomes were assessed in a subsequent clerkship using a multiple-choice examination and standardized patient station, with long-term outcomes assessed through analysis of students' patient write-ups for inclusion of sleep complaints and diagnoses before and after the intervention. Instructional costs by delivery format were tracked. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses compared learning outcomes and costs by instructional delivery method (face-to-face versus e-learning). Face-to-face learners, compared with online learners, were more satisfied with instruction. Learning outcomes (i.e., multiple-choice examination, standardized patient encounter, patient write-up), as measured by short-term and long-term assessments, were roughly equivalent. Design, delivery, and learner-assessment costs by format were equivalent at the end of 1 year, due to higher ongoing teaching costs associated with face-to-face learning offsetting online development and delivery costs. Because short-term and long-term learner performance outcomes were roughly equivalent, based on delivery method, the cost effectiveness of online learning is an economically and educationally viable instruction platform for clinical clerkships.

  2. The correlation between motor proficiency and physical activity in Senior Phase learners in the Potchefstroom area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lizl-Louise van Niekerk

    2016-10-01

    Objectives: To determine the relationship between motor proficiency and physical activity levels in adolescent Senior Phase learners in Potchefstroom, South Africa. No literature exists on the relationship between motor proficiency and physical activity levels among South African adolescents. Method: A total of 239 13- to 14-year-old learners were assessed using the Bruininkse Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency 2 (BOT-2 for motor proficiency, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ for physical activity levels. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation coefficients and effect sizes. Results: Statistically and practically significant correlations were found between the total BOT-2 score and the physical activity levels of the total group, as well as the boys and the girls respectively. Fine motor coordination correlated with physical activity levels in the girls, while manipulation coordination correlated with the physical activity levels of the total group and the boys. The body coordination skill of jumping in place and the strength test items showed strong correlations with physical activity in all the groups. Conclusion: The motor skills of Senior Phase learners, especially coordination and strength skills, should be developed and maintained in the Physical Education curriculum to enhance physical activity levels.

  3. Evaluation of an Integrated Curriculum in Physics, Mathematics, Engineering, and Chemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beichner, Robert

    1997-04-01

    An experimental, student centered, introductory curriculum called IMPEC (for Integrated Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, and Chemistry curriculum) is in its third year of pilot-testing at NCSU. The curriculum is taught by a multidisciplinary team of professors using a combination of traditional lecturing and alternative instructional methods including cooperative learning, activity-based class sessions, and extensive use of computer modeling, simulations, and the world wide web. This talk will discuss the research basis for our design and implementation of the curriculum, the qualitative and quantitative methods we have been using to assess its effectiveness, and the educational outcomes we have noted so far.

  4. Extent of Implementation of Post-Basic Economics Curriculum in Senior Secondary Schools in Edo State

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. O. Oleabhiele

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available This study focused on the extent of implementation of post-economics curriculum in senior secondary schools in Edo state. Two research questions and two research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The research designed used for the study was the descriptive survey. The population for the study were one hundred and twenty-five (125 economics teachers. A structured questionnaire was used for the collection of data for the study while the research questions were answered using the mean and standard deviation and the research hypotheses were tested using the t-test statistics at an alpha level of 0.05. The results of the study revealed that the curriculum content of economics are adequate and in line the objective of the nation on vision 20:2020. And that the instructional strategies employed by economics teachers to implement the curriculum content are appropriate as specified by the curriculum. Based on the findings, it is recommended that economics teachers should trained to select a use instructional strategies that are learners centred and that economics teachers should be encouraged to attend seminars, workshops in order to improve their teaching skills

  5. The pathology informatics curriculum wiki: Harnessing the power of user-generated content.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Ji Yeon; Gudewicz, Thomas M; Dighe, Anand S; Gilbertson, John R

    2010-07-13

    The need for informatics training as part of pathology training has never been so critical, but pathology informatics is a wide and complex field and very few programs currently have the resources to provide comprehensive educational pathology informatics experiences to their residents. In this article, we present the "pathology informatics curriculum wiki", an open, on-line wiki that indexes the pathology informatics content in a larger public wiki, Wikipedia, (and other online content) and organizes it into educational modules based on the 2003 standard curriculum approved by the Association for Pathology Informatics (API). In addition to implementing the curriculum wiki at http://pathinformatics.wikispaces.com, we have evaluated pathology informatics content in Wikipedia. Of the 199 non-duplicate terms in the API curriculum, 90% have at least one associated Wikipedia article. Furthermore, evaluation of articles on a five-point Likert scale showed high scores for comprehensiveness (4.05), quality (4.08), currency (4.18), and utility for the beginner (3.85) and advanced (3.93) learners. These results are compelling and support the thesis that Wikipedia articles can be used as the foundation for a basic curriculum in pathology informatics. The pathology informatics community now has the infrastructure needed to collaboratively and openly create, maintain and distribute the pathology informatics content worldwide (Wikipedia) and also the environment (the curriculum wiki) to draw upon its own resources to index and organize this content as a sustainable basic pathology informatics educational resource. The remaining challenges are numerous, but largest by far will be to convince the pathologists to take the time and effort required to build pathology informatics content in Wikipedia and to index and organize this content for education in the curriculum wiki.

  6. JOURNAL CLUB: Redefining the Radiology Curriculum in Medical School: Vertical Integration and Global Accessibility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Retrouvey, Michele; Trace, Anthony Paul; Goodmurphy, Craig W; Shaves, Sarah

    2018-01-01

    Radiology interconnects medical disciplines given that a working understanding of imaging is essential to clinicians of every specialty. Using online education, we created a globally accessible, web-based undergraduate medical radiology curriculum modeled after the National Medical Student Curriculum in Radiology program of the Alliance of Medical Student Educators in Radiology. Seventy-four radiology faculty-mentored video modules were produced, 50 of which were integrated into the 1st-year anatomy course. We administered tests to medical students before and after students saw the videos to assess the effectiveness of the modules. We surveyed students on their interests in pursuing radiology as a career before and after participating in this curriculum. On the preexamination questions, the mean score was 58.0%, which increased to 83.6% on the pair-matched imaging-related questions on the actual examination. Before participating in the new curriculum, 88% of students did not express an interest in radiology, and 9% were undecided about radiology as a future career. There was an increase in students who reported that they would definitely or most likely pursue a career in radiology (7%) after they had viewed the lectures. Radiology education is now available to a greater number of multidisciplinary learners worldwide. This project produced a comprehensive, globally accessible radiology curriculum in a self-paced, flexible learning format for new generations of physicians.

  7. Curriculum Redesign in Veterinary Medicine: Part I.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaney, Kristin P; Macik, Maria L; Turner, Jacqueline S; Korich, Jodi A; Rogers, Kenita S; Fowler, Debra; Scallan, Elizabeth M; Keefe, Lisa M

    Curricular review is considered a necessary component for growth and enhancement of academic programs and requires time, energy, creativity, and persistence from both faculty and administration. At Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (TAMU), the faculty and administration partnered with the university's Center for Teaching Excellence to create a faculty-driven, data-enhanced curricular redesign process. The 8-step process begins with the formation of a dedicated faculty curriculum design team to drive the redesign process and to support the college curriculum committee. The next steps include defining graduate outcomes and mapping the current curriculum to identify gaps and redundancies across the curriculum. Data are collected from internal and external stakeholders including veterinary students, faculty, alumni, and employers of graduates. Data collected through curriculum mapping and stakeholder engagement substantiate the curriculum redesign. The guidelines, supporting documents, and 8-step process developed at TAMU are provided to assist other veterinary schools in successful curricular redesign. This is the first of a two-part report that provides the background, context, and description of the process for charting the course for curricular change. The process involves defining expected learning outcomes for new graduates, conducting a curriculum mapping exercise, and collecting stakeholder data for curricular evaluation (steps 1-4). The second part of the report describes the development of rubrics that were applied to the graduate learning outcomes (steps 5-8) and engagement of faculty during the implementation phases of data-driven curriculum change.

  8. What do school principals do to overcome the challenges of implementing a new senior secondary curriculum in Hong Kong?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edith Lai

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper attempts to identify the challenges facing school principals as they engaged in implementing a curriculum reform in Hong Kong. Based on interview data of school principals, this paper shows three major types of implementation challenges facing school principals, namely curriculum planning, catering for learner diversity, and managing change. Drawing on the concept of ‘exploiting situated possibilities’, this paper further shows how these school principals explored and exploited possibilities in and around the school contexts to overcome the implementation challenges, as one way to strengthen the schools’ capacity for change. Implications for developing efficacious principal leadership in school capacity building are discussed.

  9. An Examination of Goals of Potential and Actual Learners: University of Mid-America/State University of Nebraska. Working Paper No. 1 [and] Executive Summary.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eggert, John D.

    An examination is provided of University of Mid-America/State University of Nebraska (UMA/SUN) multimedia adult learners, based on market surveys in 1973 and 1974. One of the major responsibilities of SUN was to complete the planning of a two-year postsecondary open learning curriculum to be offered, including enumeration of courses in order of…

  10. Engineering the curriculum: Towards an adaptive curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johns-Boast, Lynette Frances

    The curriculum is one of the most important artefacts produced by higher education institutions, yet it is one of the least studied. Additionally, little is known about the decision-making of academics when designing and developing their curricula, nor how they make use of them. This research investigates how 22 Australian higher education engineering, software engineering, computer science, and information systems academics conceive of curriculum, what approaches they take when designing, and developing course and program curricula, and what use they make of the curriculum. It also considers the implications of these conceptions and behaviour upon their curricula. Data were collected through a series of one-to-one, in-depth, qualitative interviews as well as small focus group sessions and were analysed following Charmaz’ (2006) approach to grounded theory. In this thesis, I argue that the development of curricula for new higher degree programs and courses and / or the updating and innovating of an existing curriculum is a design problem. I also argue that curriculum is a complex adaptive system. Surrounding the design and development of a curriculum is a process of design that leads to the creation of a designed object - the official-curriculum. The official-curriculum provides the guiding principles for its implementation, which involves the design and development of the curriculum-in-use, its delivery, and evaluation. Data show that while the participants conceive of curriculum as a problem of design involving a design process leading to the development of the official-curriculum, surprisingly, their behaviour does not match their conceptions. Over a very short period, their behaviour leads to a process I have called curriculum drift where the official-curriculum and the curriculum-in-use drift away from each other causing the curriculum to lose its integrity. Curricular integrity is characterised through the attributes of alignment, coherence, and

  11. Self-Regulation Mediates the Relationship between Learner Typology and Achievement in At - Risk Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weed, Keri; Keogh, Deborah; Borkowski, John G.; Whitman, Thomas; Noria, Christine W.

    2010-01-01

    A person-centered approach was used to explore the mediating role of self-regulation between learner typology at age 8 and academic achievement at age 14while controlling for domain-specific achievement in a longitudinal sample of 113 children born to adolescent mothers. Children were classified into one of 5 learner typologies at age 8based on interactive patterns of intellectual, achievement, and adaptive abilities. Typology classification explained significant variance in both reading and mathematics achievement at age 14. A bootstrapping approach confirmed that self-regulation mediated the relationship between typology and reading and mathematical achievement for children from all typologies except those classified as Cognitively and Adaptively Challenged. Implications of person-centered approaches for understanding processes involved with achievement are discussed. PMID:21278904

  12. Mentoring and Argumentation in a Game-Infused Science Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gould, Deena L.; Parekh, Priyanka

    2018-04-01

    Engaging in argumentation from evidence is challenging for most middle school students. We report the design of a media-based mentoring system to support middle school students in engaging in argumentation in the context of a game-infused science curriculum. Our design emphasizes learners apprenticing with college student mentors around the socio-scientific inquiry of a designed video game. We report the results of a mixed-methods study examining the use of this media-based mentoring system with students ages 11 through 14. We observed that the discourse of groups of students that engaged with the game-infused science curriculum while interacting with college student mentors via a social media platform demonstrated statistically significant higher ratings of cognitive, epistemic, and social aspects of argumentation than groups of students that engaged with the social media platform and game-infused science curriculum without mentors. We further explored the differences between the Discourses of the mentored and non-mentored groups. This analysis showed that students in the mentored groups were invited, guided, and socialized into roles of greater agency than students in the non-mentored groups. This increased agency might explain why mentored groups demonstrated higher levels of scientific argumentation than non-mentored groups. Based on our analyses, we argue that media-based mentoring may be designed around a video game to support middle school students in engaging in argumentation from evidence.

  13. Learner-to-learner visual acuity screening: A solution for early ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The National School Health Policy guidelines (2002) stipulate that primary school learners should have their vision, speech, hearing, mental health, teeth, ... This project created greater awareness among learners, parents and teachers ...

  14. Nationwide program of education for undergraduates in the field of disaster medicine: development of a core curriculum centered on blended learning and simulation tools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingrassia, Pier Luigi; Ragazzoni, Luca; Tengattini, Marco; Carenzo, Luca; Della Corte, Francesco

    2014-10-01

    In recent years, effective models of disaster medicine curricula for medical schools have been established. However, only a small percentage of medical schools worldwide have considered at least basic disaster medicine teaching in their study program. In Italy, disaster medicine has not yet been included in the medical school curriculum. Perceiving the lack of a specific course on disaster medicine, the Segretariato Italiano Studenti in Medicina (SISM) contacted the Centro di Ricerca Interdipartimentale in Medicina di Emergenza e dei Disastri ed Informatica applicata alla didattica e alla pratica Medica (CRIMEDIM) with a proposal for a nationwide program in this field. Seven modules (introduction to disaster medicine, prehospital disaster management, definition of triage, characteristics of hospital disaster plans, treatment of the health consequences of different disasters, psychosocial care, and presentation of past disasters) were developed using an e-learning platform and a 12-hour classroom session which involved problem-based learning (PBL) activities, table-top exercises, and a computerized simulation (Table 1). The modules were designed as a framework for a disaster medicine curriculum for undergraduates and covered the three main disciplines (clinical and psychosocial, public health, and emergency and risk management) of the core of "Disaster Health" according to the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) international guidelines for disaster medicine education. From January 2011 through May 2013, 21 editions of the course were delivered to 21 different medical schools, and 524 students attended the course. The blended approach and the use of simulation tools were appreciated by all participants and successfully increased participants' knowledge of disaster medicine and basic competencies in performing mass-casualty triage. This manuscript reports on the designing process and the initial outcomes with respect to learners

  15. Secondary school learners' perceptions of responsible citizenship as taught in the life orientation learning area: a case study

    OpenAIRE

    2008-01-01

    In this study, secondary school learners perceptions of Responsible Citizenship as taught in the Life Orientation learning area are explored. Citizen Education, which is set out in Learning Outcome Two of the Life Orientation Curriculum, forms the basis of the programme used to conduct this study. An international as well as a national perspective of Responsible Citizenship and the teaching thereof is explicated with special reference being made to the Further Education and Training Band. The...

  16. Creating a Curriculum for Training Health Profession Faculty Leaders

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Mitchell, Pamela H; Robins, Lynne S; Schaad, Dotiglas

    2005-01-01

    Objectives: An interprofessional, collaborative group of educators, patient safety officers, and Federal program directors teamed up to create an integrated, patient safety-centered curriculum for the education...

  17. Self-Presentation Bias in Surveys of Teachers' Educational Technology Practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kopcha, Theodore J.; Sullivan, Howard

    2007-01-01

    This study investigated self-presentation bias in the self-reports of teachers about their practices in six topic areas in educational technology (Instructional Design, Assessment, Learner-Centered Instruction, Curriculum Alignment, Attitudes about Computers, and Use of Computers with Students). Subjects were 50 middle-school teachers. Data were…

  18. The Impact of Multimodal Texts on Reading Achievement: A Study of Iranian Secondary School Learners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bahareh Baharani

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available This study was designed to investigate the impact of multimodal text on reading comprehension test performance of Iranian intermediate learners. A total of 80 students participated in this study. All of them were Iranian female EFL learners with the age ranging from 16 to 18. They were selected from a boarding high school in Nasr Abad, Torbat Jam in Khorasan e Razavi, Iran. The students were randomly settled in four groups, who received different instructional approaches through using linear texts, multimodal printed texts, non-printed multimodal texts, and both multimodal printed and non-printed texts.  A pre-test and post-test were used to find out the differences before and after the experimental treatment.  The results reflected that the printed and non-printed multimodal texts had significant impact on reading comprehension test performance. In contrast, applying linear texts or traditional texts did not exert significant influence on reading comprehension ability of the participants. The findings provide useful hints for language instructors to improve effectiveness of instructional reading curriculums and reading ability of language learners. The participants who learned reading comprehension through using multimodal printed and non-printed texts enjoy reading programs and develop their intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for improving reading ability.

  19. Hydrogen Technology and Energy Curriculum (HyTEC)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nagle, Barbara

    2013-02-28

    The Lawrence Hall of Science of the University of California, Berkeley has collaborated with scientists and engineers, a local transit agency, school districts, and a commercial curriculum publisher to develop, field-test nationally, and publish a two-week curriculum module on hydrogen and fuel cells for high school science. Key partners in this project are the Schatz Energy Research Center (SERC) of Humboldt State University, the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit), FilmSight Productions, Lab-Aids, Inc., and 32 teachers and 2,370 students in field-test classrooms in California, Connecticut, Ohio, New York, South Carolina, and Washington. Field-test teachers received two to three days of professional development before teaching the curriculum and providing feedback used for revision of the curriculum. The curriculum, titled Investigating Alternative Energy: Hydrogen and Fuel Cells and published by Lab-Aids, Inc., includes a teachers guide (with lesson plans, resources, and student handout pages), two interactive computer animations, a video, a website, and a laboratory materials kit. The project has been disseminated to over 950 teachers through awareness workshops at state, regional, and national science teacher conferences.

  20. Gender Differences and Writing Performance: A Brief Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam Bijami

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available In view of the fact that learner-centered instruction is the standpoint in education in new trends, teachers must be aware of students’ characteristics in order to tailor their teaching to needs of learners. One of the areas which is closely related to characteristics and performance of language learners is the role of gender on language learning in general and writing performance in particular. Although various studies have been conducted to examine gender difference regarding different aspects of language learning, the results reveal inconsistencies. This paper attempts to consider the gender differences in writing performance and has some implications for policy makers who are to develop a curriculum compatible with the needs of language learners.

  1. The Curriculum Innovation Canvas: A Design Thinking Framework for the Engaged Educational Entrepreneur

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willness, Chelsea; Bruni-Bossio, Vince

    2017-01-01

    Integrating literature on entrepreneurial business models and community-based experiential learning, we propose a new framework to advance the practice of curriculum innovation. Grounded in principles of design thinking, the curriculum innovation canvas provides a human-centered, collaborative, and holistic platform for instructors, curriculum…

  2. Assessment of an interprofessional online curriculum for palliative care communication training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wittenberg-Lyles, Elaine; Goldsmith, Joy; Ferrell, Betty; Burchett, Molly

    2014-04-01

    Curricular changes to palliative care communication training are needed in order to accommodate a variety of learners, especially in lieu of the projected national shortage of hospice and palliative medicine physicians and nurses. This study assessed the utility of a palliative care communication curriculum offered through an online platform and also examined health care professionals' clinical communication experiences related to palliative care topics. Four of the seven modules of the COMFORT communication curriculum were made available online, and participant assessments and knowledge skills were measured. Modules were completed and assessed by 177 participants, including 105 nurses, 25 physicians, and a category of 'other' disciplines totaling 47. Premodule surveys consisted of closed-ended items developed by the interdisciplinary research team. Postcurriculum evaluation and knowledge quizzes were used to assess program effectiveness. Among all participants, end-of-life care and recurrence of disease were considered the most challenging communication contexts and discussion about treatment options the least challenging. Mean responses to postcurriculum evaluation for all modules across nurse and physician participants was greater than 4 on a scale of 1 to 5. This study identifies the COMFORT communication curriculum as an effective online curricular tool to teach multiple disciplines specific palliative care communication.

  3. Conversion of Provider EMR Training from Instructor-Led Training to eLearning at an Academic Medical Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharp, Karen; Williams, Michele; Aldrich, Alison; Bogacz, Adrienne; Denier, Sighle; McAlearney, Ann S

    2017-07-26

    This case study overviews the conversion of provider training of the electronic medical record (EMR) from an instructor-led training (ILT) program to eLearning at an Academic Medical Center (AMC). This conversion provided us with both a useful training tool and the opportunity to maximize efficiency within both our training and optimization team and organization. eLearning Development Principles were created and served as a guide to assist us with designing an eLearning curriculum using a five step process. The result was a new training approach that allowed learners to complete training at their own pace, and even test out of sections based on demonstrated competency. The information we have leads us to believe that a substantial return on our investment can be obtained from the conversion with positive impacts that have served as the foundation for the future of end user EMR training at our AMC.

  4. Higher order thinking skills competencies required by outcomes-based education from learners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MM Chabeli

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available Outcomes-Based Education (OBE brought about a significant paradigm shift in the education and training of learners in South Africa. OBE requires a shift from focusing on the teacher input (instruction offerings or syllabuses expressed in terms of content, to focusing on learner outcomes. OBE is moving away from ‘transmission’ models to constructivistic, learner-centered models that put emphasis on learning as an active process (Nieburh, 1996:30. Teachers act as facilitators and mediators of learning (Norms and Standards, Government Gazette vol 415, no 20844 of 2000. Facilitators are responsible to create the environment that is conducive for learners to construct their own knowledge, skills and values through interaction (Peters, 2000. The first critical cross-field outcome accepted by the South African Qualification Framework (SAQA is that learners should be able to identify and solve problems by using critical and creative thinking skills. This paper seeks to explore some higher order thinking skills competencies required by OBE from learners such as critical thinking, reflective thinking, creative thinking, dialogic / dialectic thinking, decision making, problem solving and emotional intelligence and their implications in facilitating teaching and learning from the theoretical perspective. The philosophical underpinning of these higher order thinking skills is described to give direction to the study. It is recommended that a study focusing on the assessment of these intellectual concepts be made. The study may be qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods in nature (Creswell 2005.

  5. Higher order thinking skills competencies required by outcomes-based education from learners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chabeli, M M

    2006-08-01

    Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) brought about a significant paradigm shift in the education and training of learners in South Africa. OBE requires a shift from focusing on the teacher input (instruction offerings or syllabuses expressed in terms of content), to focusing on learner outcomes. OBE is moving away from 'transmission' models to constructivistic, learner-centered models that put emphasis on learning as an active process (Nieburh, 1996:30). Teachers act as facilitators and mediators of learning (Norms and Standards, Government Gazette vol 415, no 20844 of 2000). Facilitators are responsible to create the environment that is conducive for learners to construct their own knowledge, skills and values through interaction (Peters, 2000). The first critical cross-field outcome accepted by the South African Qualification Framework (SAQA) is that learners should be able to identify and solve problems by using critical and creative thinking skills. This paper seeks to explore some higher order thinking skills competencies required by OBE from learners such as critical thinking, reflective thinking, creative thinking, dialogic / dialectic thinking, decision making, problem solving and emotional intelligence and their implications in facilitating teaching and learning from the theoretical perspective. The philosophical underpinning of these higher order thinking skills is described to give direction to the study. It is recommended that a study focusing on the assessment of these intellectual concepts be made. The study may be qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods in nature (Creswell 2005).

  6. Learner's Passport

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bogdan Jug

    1996-12-01

    Full Text Available For the first time learner's passport was pre­ sented at the international conference on permanent education, taking place in Rome in December 1994. This document is not meant for students only but for the entire population. It should contain notes on any format education, additional education, working experiences, cultural activities, sport results, awards, prizes and recommen­ dations. The mission of learner's passport is to gather all documents in one place, a handy book­ let which gives one an overall view over his/her achievements. It should help personnel departments in choosing the right person for a certain job as well as indirectly stimul ate additional activities of the learner's passport holder.

  7. Developing an integrated evidence-based medicine curriculum for family medicine residency at the University of Alberta.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allan, G Michael; Korownyk, Christina; Tan, Amy; Hindle, Hugh; Kung, Lina; Manca, Donna

    2008-06-01

    There is general consensus in the academic community that evidence-based medicine (EBM) teaching is essential. Unfortunately, many postgraduate programs have significant weakness in their EBM programs. The Family Medicine Residency committee at the University of Alberta felt their EBM curriculum would benefit from critical review and revision. An EBM Curriculum Committee was created to evaluate previous components and develop new strategies as needed. Input from stakeholders including faculty and residents was sought, and evidence regarding the teaching and practical application of EBM was gathered. The committee drafted goals and objectives, the primary of which were to assist residents to (1) become competent self-directed, lifelong learners with skills to effectively and efficiently keep up to date, and 2) develop EBM skills to solve problems encountered in daily practice. New curriculum components, each evidence based, were introduced in 2005 and include a family medicine EBM workshop to establish basic EBM knowledge; a Web-based Family Medicine Desktop promoting easier access to evidence-based Internet resources; a brief evidence-based assessment of the research project enhancing integration of EBM into daily practice; and a journal club to support peer learning and growth of rapid appraisal skills. Issues including time use, costs, and change management are discussed. Ongoing evaluation of the curriculum and its components is a principal factor of the design, allowing critical review and adaptation of the curriculum. The first two years of the curriculum have yielded positive feedback from faculty and statistically significant improvement in multiple areas of residents' opinions of the curriculum and comfort with evidence-based practice.

  8. The Developing Infant Creates a Curriculum for Statistical Learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Linda B; Jayaraman, Swapnaa; Clerkin, Elizabeth; Yu, Chen

    2018-04-01

    New efforts are using head cameras and eye-trackers worn by infants to capture everyday visual environments from the point of view of the infant learner. From this vantage point, the training sets for statistical learning develop as the sensorimotor abilities of the infant develop, yielding a series of ordered datasets for visual learning that differ in content and structure between timepoints but are highly selective at each timepoint. These changing environments may constitute a developmentally ordered curriculum that optimizes learning across many domains. Future advances in computational models will be necessary to connect the developmentally changing content and statistics of infant experience to the internal machinery that does the learning. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Between Trauma and Perpetration: Psychoanalytical and Social Psychological Perspectives on Difficult Histories in the Israeli Context

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldberg, Tsafrir

    2017-01-01

    This study explores the applicability of psychoanalytic trauma-centered perspectives and social psychological intergroup comparison perspectives to difficult histories of the Israeli context. The study describes 2 test cases of difficult histories in the Jewish-Israeli context at the levels of curriculum policy, teachers, and learners. The first…

  10. Evaluating the effectiveness of a metacognitive programme for disadvantaged learners in the Foundation Phase

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Louis Benjamin

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Learners in South Africa lag behind in literacy and numeracy skills relative to their peers in other countries. This is ascribed to a lack of quality education in the preschool and Foundation Phases of schooling, and conditions related to poverty. The Basic Concepts Mediated Learning Programme (BCMLP aims to promote the conceptual development of young children through training teachers to be mediators in a metacognitive educational programme. The BCMLP was implemented in the Foundation Phase (Grade R to Grade 3 in two schools in impoverished areas of the Northern Cape over three years (20082010. Baseline testing found that children at both schools experienced significant delays in their conceptual and scholastic development. After being trained as mediators, teachers implemented this approach with groups, eventually integrating it into the curriculum. There was variable continuity of implementation at the two schools, with one school only implementing the programme for the first year. The conceptual development and scholastic functioning of learners were monitored pre-intervention to post-intervention. Results found that implementation of the programme was consistent with considerable improvements in conceptual and scholastic functioning. Further, improvements were more pronounced, where the programme was implemented continually for three years. The researcher concluded that the programme made a positive impact on participating learners' knowledge and understanding of basic conceptual systems and scholastic functioning.

  11. How to Create a Learning-Centered ESL Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bista, Krishna

    2011-01-01

    This paper reviews the major features of learning-centered community colleges that offer educational programs and experiences for learners, based on individual need. By citing some exemplary learning colleges, the author examines the concepts and ideas of learning-centered colleges in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. An…

  12. A Study of Learners PerceptIon and AttItude towards BA/BSS Program of SSHL of Bangladesh Open UnIversity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sabiha SULTANA

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available In the present day open and distance education has become a significant way of the development of higher education. Bangladesh Open University (BOU, the only public institution in Bangladesh offers several formal and non-formal programs from secondary to post graduate level through distance mode. The main objectives of BOU’s program is to provide flexible and need based education particularly to the rural and disadvantaged groups like woman, agricultural workers, unemployed youths, uneducated adults, on-the-job people etc. The School of Social Science, Humanities and Language (SSHL at the BOU offers Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Social Science (BA/BSS to create efficient and skilled manpower in the country. The focuses of this paper is to find out learners’ views and attitude towards BA/BSS program at BOU. In this study, 187 respondents were randomly selected from 15 tutorial centers of 2 Regional Resource centers (RRCs of BOU. The study showed that 62% learners were male and the mean age of the learners was 34.05 years (minimum 22; maximum 54. More than 50% learners were married and nearly half (47.6% of them were private employees and 86.6% were Muslims. Amongst them, 72.2% were come from urban areas and residing around 23.08 km from the tutorial centers. Most (72% of the learners of BA/BSS program stated that the program was as usual but 24.1% expressed that it was difficult to understand but 97.7% learners responded that text materials were up to the mark. Regarding the media programs, 61% of the learners gave their opinion that TV programs were at the level best but they wanted to watch these at the evening or night schedule. It was surprising that 26.2% of the learners had bitter experience with the services of RRCs. Finally, some measures have been proposed to offer effective and more popular educational program through BOU.

  13. Description of an ethics curriculum for a medicine residency program.

    OpenAIRE

    Silverman, H J

    1999-01-01

    This paper examines the attempts to develop and implement an ethics curriculum for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at the University of Maryland Medical Center. The objectives of the curriculum were to enhance moral reasoning skills and to promote humanistic attitudes and behavior among the residents. The diverse methodologies used to achieve these objectives included case discussions, literature reading, role playing, writing, and videos. These activities occurred predominantly withi...

  14. Solar Energy Installers Curriculum Guides. Final Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, Gene C.

    A project was conducted to develop solar energy installers curriculum guides for use in high school vocational centers and community colleges. Project activities included researching job competencies for the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning industry and determining through interviews and manufacturers' literature what additional…

  15. Ka Hana `Imi Na`auao: A Science Curriculum Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Napeahi, K.; Roberts, K. D.; Galloway, L. M.; Stodden, R. A.; Akuna, J.; Bruno, B.

    2005-12-01

    In antiquity, the first people to step foot on what are now known as the Hawaiian islands skillfully traversed the Pacific Ocean using celestial navigation and learned observations of scientific phenomena. Long before the Western world ventured beyond the horizon, Hawaiians had invented the chronometer, built aqueduct systems (awai) that continue to amaze modern engineers, and had preventive health systems as well as a comprehensive knowledge of medicinal plants (including antivirals) which only now are working their way through trials for use in modern pharmacopia. Yet, today, Native Hawaiians are severely underrepresented in science-related fields, reflecting (in part) a failure of the Western educational system to nurture the potential of these resourceful students, particularly the many "at-risk" students who are presently over-represented in special education. A curriculum which draws from and incorporates traditional Hawaiian values and knowledge is needed to reinforce links to the inquiry process which nurtured creative thinking during the renaissance of Polynesian history. The primary goal of the Ka Hana `Imi Na`auao Project (translation: `science` or `work in which you seek enlightenment, knowledge or wisdom`) is to increase the number of Native Hawaiian adults in science-related postsecondary education and employment fields. Working closely with Native Hawaiian cultural experts and our high school partners, we will develop and implement a culturally responsive 11th and 12th grade high school science curriculum, infused with math, literacy and technology readiness skills. Software and assistive technology will be used to adapt instruction to individual learners` reading levels, specific disabilities and learning styles. To ease the transition from secondary to post-secondary education, selected grade 12 students will participate in planned project activities that link high school experiences with college science-related programs of study. Ka Hana `Imi Na

  16. Presentation on the Modeling and Educational Demonstrations Laboratory Curriculum Materials Center (MEDL-CMC): A Working Model and Progress Report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glesener, G. B.; Vican, L.

    2015-12-01

    Physical analog models and demonstrations can be effective educational tools for helping instructors teach abstract concepts in the Earth, planetary, and space sciences. Reducing the learning challenges for students using physical analog models and demonstrations, however, can often increase instructors' workload and budget because the cost and time needed to produce and maintain such curriculum materials is substantial. First, this presentation describes a working model for the Modeling and Educational Demonstrations Laboratory Curriculum Materials Center (MEDL-CMC) to support instructors' use of physical analog models and demonstrations in the science classroom. The working model is based on a combination of instructional resource models developed by the Association of College & Research Libraries and by the Physics Instructional Resource Association. The MEDL-CMC aims to make the curriculum materials available for all science courses and outreach programs within the institution where the MEDL-CMC resides. The sustainability and value of the MEDL-CMC comes from its ability to provide and maintain a variety of physical analog models and demonstrations in a wide range of science disciplines. Second, the presentation then reports on the development, progress, and future of the MEDL-CMC at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Development of the UCLA MEDL-CMC was funded by a grant from UCLA's Office of Instructional Development and is supported by the Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences. Other UCLA science departments have recently shown interest in the UCLA MEDL-CMC services, and therefore, preparations are currently underway to increase our capacity for providing interdepartmental service. The presentation concludes with recommendations and suggestions for other institutions that wish to start their own MEDL-CMC in order to increase educational effectiveness and decrease instructor workload. We welcome an interuniversity collaboration to

  17. Curriculum Trends in Medical Education in Mauritius

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aprajita Panwar

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Medical education began in Mauritius with the establishment of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (SSR Medical college in 1999 followed by a breakthrough in field of medicine with opening of Anna Medical College and Research Center (AMCRC in 2010 and Padhamshree DY PatilMedical College in 2013.Though it was an appreciable beginning of medical education in Mauritius, medical schools are currently experiencing hardships in delivering right medical exposure to health care professionals.Mauritian medical schools now need to review their current teaching methodology and present curriculum to keep pace with global standards. Integrated curriculum which is now gaining popularity world-wide is to be introduced and strongly implemented in medical schools in Mauritius. This curriculum would breach barriers and improve integration between pre-clinical and clinical sciences thus facilitating long-term retention of knowledge in medical schools and develop a professionally soundapproach towards management of health care. Horizontal curriculum can be replaced by vertical and spiral integration. For this major change, faculty engaged in medical profession are to be acquainted about innovative strategies and emerging trends in medical education. Thus this article aims to highlight the current scenario of medical education in Mauritius and also offer suggestions about possible future strategies to be implemented in medical colleges.Keywords: MEDICAL EDUCATION, CURRICULUM, CHALLENGES

  18. Solar Energy Installers Curriculum Guides. Book I.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, Gene C.

    This first volume of a comprehensive curriculum guide for the heating-ventilation-air conditioning-refrigeration-solar student is designed to assist high school area vocational centers or community college instructors in the implementation and operation of comfort training programs. Following an introductory section, the guide provides job…

  19. Gender and the Curriculum of Adult Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blundell, Sue

    1992-01-01

    The perspectives of four feminist discourses (liberal, radical, Marxist, and socialist) analyze the role of adult education curriculum in reinforcing gender relations. The transformation of gender relations requires a combination of radical strategies such as women-centered, women-only methodology and the theoretical framework of the…

  20. Veteran Affairs Centers of Excellence in Primary Care Education: transforming nurse practitioner education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rugen, Kathryn Wirtz; Watts, Sharon A; Janson, Susan L; Angelo, Laura A; Nash, Melanie; Zapatka, Susan A; Brienza, Rebecca; Gilman, Stuart C; Bowen, Judith L; Saxe, JoAnne M

    2014-01-01

    To integrate health care professional learners into patient-centered primary care delivery models, the Department of Veterans Affairs has funded five Centers of Excellence in Primary Care Education (CoEPCEs). The main goal of the CoEPCEs is to develop and test innovative structural and curricular models that foster transformation of health care training from profession-specific "silos" to interprofessional, team-based educational and care delivery models in patient-centered primary care settings. CoEPCE implementation emphasizes four core curricular domains: shared decision making, sustained relationships, interprofessional collaboration, and performance improvement. The structural models allow interprofessional learners to have longitudinal learning experiences and sustained and continuous relationships with patients, faculty mentors, and peer learners. This article presents an overview of the innovative curricular models developed at each site, focusing on nurse practitioner (NP) education. Insights on transforming NP education in the practice setting and its impact on traditional NP educational models are offered. Preliminary outcomes and sustainment examples are also provided. Published by Mosby, Inc.

  1. Preschool literacy and second language learners

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holm, Lars

    in the literacy events they meet in their day-care centers and kindergartens? Examining these social practices in pre-schools might illuminate the interplay between language and literacy and the learning processes of second language learners and contribute to the discussion about the need for re...... intending to enhance children´s language and literacy learning. The poor results of the PISA-measurement have in Denmark, Norway and Sweden drawn much attention to literacy and language in day-care centers and kindergartens and resulted in the development of a considerable number of social technologies...... (programs and concepts) intended to improve pre-school children’s literacy and language skills. Seen in a knowledge-society perspective the development might be characterized as an expansion of a life-long-learning evidence-based strategy into early childhood. The importance of development of early...

  2. Pioneering small-group learning in Tanzanian emergency medicine: Investigating acceptability for physician learners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A G Lim

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Background. Emergency medicine (EM is a relatively new, but growing medical specialty in sub-Saharan Africa. African EM training programmes have used small-group learning (SGL modalities in their curricula. However, there is little knowledge of whether SGL modalities are perceived to be effective in these African EM training programmes. Objectives. To investigate the acceptability of SGL for physicians’ training in an academic Tanzanian emergency department using a novel EM curriculum. Methods. Using responses to a written questionnaire, we explored the perceived effectiveness of SGL compared with traditional didactic lectures among 38 emergency department physician learners in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Perceptions of SGL were identified from qualitative responses, and regression analyses were used to determine strength of association between quantitative outcomes. Results. Reported benefits of SGL included team building, simulation training, enhancement of procedural skills, and the opportunity to discuss opinions on clinical management. SGL scored more favourably with regard to improving clinical practice, enjoyment of learning, and building peer-to-peer relations. Lectures scored more favourably at improving medical knowledge. Preference towards SGL over lectures for overall training increased with years of clinical experience (95% confidence interval (CI 0.16 - 0.62, p=0.002, Spearman’s rho 0.51, and the perception that SGL reinforces learner-teacher relationships correlated with seniority within residency training (95% CI 0.14 - 0.86, p=0.007, Spearman’s rho 0.47. Conclusion. Techniques of SGL were perceived as effective at improving clinical practice in the emergency department setting. These modalities may be more favourably accepted by more experienced physician learners – therefore, new EM teaching programmes in Africa should consider these factors when targeting educational strategies for their respective regions and learner

  3. Assessing Learner Satisfaction by Simultaneously Measuring Learner Attitude, Motivation, Loyalty and Service Quality in English Academies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huong, Vu Thi; Casadesus, Marti; Marimon, Frederic

    2017-01-01

    The aims of this study are threefold in their approach to English academy teaching: (i) to assess learner satisfaction, (ii) to assess the impact of satisfaction on loyalty and (iii) to assess the three constructs that we considered to be the antecedents of learner satisfaction: learner motivation, learner attitude and service quality. To collect…

  4. Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) in the L2 Classroom: The Impact of the UN's Off-the-Shelf Videogame, Food Force, on Learner Affect and Vocabulary Retention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hitosugi, Claire Ikumi; Schmidt, Matthew; Hayashi, Kentaro

    2014-01-01

    This mixed-method study explored the impact of "Food Force (FF)", a UN-sponsored off-the-shelf videogame, on learner affect and vocabulary learning and retention in a Japanese as a second/foreign language classroom. The videogame was integrated into an existing curriculum and two studies were performed. In Study 1 (n = 9), new vocabulary…

  5. Can social semantic web techniques foster collaborative curriculum mapping in medicine?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spreckelsen, Cord; Finsterer, Sonja; Cremer, Jan; Schenkat, Hennig

    2013-08-15

    Curriculum mapping, which is aimed at the systematic realignment of the planned, taught, and learned curriculum, is considered a challenging and ongoing effort in medical education. Second-generation curriculum managing systems foster knowledge management processes including curriculum mapping in order to give comprehensive support to learners, teachers, and administrators. The large quantity of custom-built software in this field indicates a shortcoming of available IT tools and standards. The project reported here aims at the systematic adoption of techniques and standards of the Social Semantic Web to implement collaborative curriculum mapping for a complete medical model curriculum. A semantic MediaWiki (SMW)-based Web application has been introduced as a platform for the elicitation and revision process of the Aachen Catalogue of Learning Objectives (ACLO). The semantic wiki uses a domain model of the curricular context and offers structured (form-based) data entry, multiple views, structured querying, semantic indexing, and commenting for learning objectives ("LOs"). Semantic indexing of learning objectives relies on both a controlled vocabulary of international medical classifications (ICD, MeSH) and a folksonomy maintained by the users. An additional module supporting the global checking of consistency complements the semantic wiki. Statements of the Object Constraint Language define the consistency criteria. We evaluated the application by a scenario-based formative usability study, where the participants solved tasks in the (fictional) context of 7 typical situations and answered a questionnaire containing Likert-scaled items and free-text questions. At present, ACLO contains roughly 5350 operational (ie, specific and measurable) objectives acquired during the last 25 months. The wiki-based user interface uses 13 online forms for data entry and 4 online forms for flexible searches of LOs, and all the forms are accessible by standard Web browsers. The

  6. Enhancing Pediatric Trainees' and Students' Knowledge in Providing Care to Transgender Youth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vance, Stanley R; Deutsch, Madeline B; Rosenthal, Stephen M; Buckelew, Sara M

    2017-04-01

    To enhance pediatric trainees' and students' knowledge of the psychosocial and medical issues facing transgender youth through a comprehensive curriculum. During the 2015-2016 academic year, we administered a transgender youth curriculum to fourth-year medical students, pediatric interns, psychiatry interns, and nurse practitioner students on their 1-month adolescent and young adult medicine rotation. The curriculum included six interactive, online modules and an observational experience in a multidisciplinary pediatric gender clinic. The online modules had a primary care focus with topics of general transgender terminology, taking a gender history, taking a psychosocial history, performing a sensitive physical examination, and formulating an assessment, psychosocial plan, and medical plan. At the completion of the curriculum, learners completed an evaluation that assessed change in perceived awareness and knowledge of transgender-related issues and learner satisfaction with the curriculum. Twenty learners participated in the curriculum with 100% completing the curriculum evaluations, 100% reporting completing all six online modules, and 90% attending the gender clinic. Learners demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in all pre-post knowledge/awareness measures. On a Likert scale where 5 indicated very satisfied, learners' mean rating of the quality of the curriculum was 4.5 ± .7; quality of the modules was 4.4 ± .7; and satisfaction with the observational experience was 4.5 ± .8. A comprehensive curriculum comprised interactive online modules and an observational experience in a pediatric gender clinic was effective at improving pediatric learners' perceived knowledge of the medical and psychosocial issues facing transgender youth. Learners also highly valued the curriculum. Copyright © 2016 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Communication Arts Curriculum: A Model Program. Revised.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamaqua Area School District, PA.

    This publication describes, in three sections, a high school Communication Arts Curriculum (CAC) program designed to further students' communication skills as they participate in student-centered learning activities in the fine arts, the practical arts, and the performing arts. "Program Operation" includes a course outline and inventories for…

  8. Changing concepts of neuroanatomy teaching in medical education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hazelton, Lara

    2011-10-01

    Anatomy teaching is often described as foundational in the education of physicians, but in recent years there has been increasing pressure on teachers of neuroanatomy to justify its place in the curriculum. This article examines theoretical assumptions that have traditionally influenced the neuroanatomy curriculum and explains how evolution of thought in the field of medical education has led to a shift in how the pedagogy of neuroanatomy is conceptualized. The widespread adoption of competency-based education, the emphasis on outcome-based objectives, patient- and learner-centered approaches, and a renewed interest in humanistic aspects of medical education have all contributed to a changing educational milieu. These changes have led to a number of curricular innovations. However, questions remain as to what should be taught to medical learners, and how best to teach it.

  9. TRERC-TEA [Texas Real Estate Research Center-Texas Education Agency] Real Estate Curriculum Workshop Committee Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lyon, Robert

    The document contains a summary report of a community college real estate teachers' workshop organized to develop course outlines for the various areas in the real estate curriculum. Curriculum outlines are presented, with varying degrees of detail included, for the following eight subjects: real estate appraisal; real estate brokage; real estate…

  10. A Rose By Other Names: Some General Musings on Lawrence and Colleagues' Hidden Curriculum Scoping Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hafferty, Frederic W; Martimianakis, Maria Athina

    2017-11-07

    In this Commentary, the authors explore the scoping review by Lawrence and colleagues by challenging their conclusion that with over 25 years' worth of "ambiguous and seemingly ubiquitous use" of the hidden curriculum construct in health professions education scholarship, it is time to either move to a more uniform definitional foundation or abandon the term altogether. The commentary authors counter these remedial propositions by foregrounding the importance of theoretical diversity and the conceptual richness afforded when the hidden curriculum construct is used as an entry point for studying the interstitial space between the formal and a range of other-than-formal domains of learning. Further, they document how tightly-delimited scoping strategies fail to capture the wealth of educational scholarship that operates within a hidden curriculum framework, including "hidden" hidden curriculum articles, studies that employ alternative constructs, and investigations that target important tacit socio-cultural influences on learners and faculty without formally deploying the term. They offer examples of how the hidden curriculum construct, while undergoing significant transformation in its application within the field of health professions education, has created the conceptual foundation for the application of a number of critical perspectives that make visible the field's political investments in particular forms of knowing and associated practices. Finally, the commentary authors invite readers to consider the methodological promise afforded by conceptual heterogeneity, particularly strands of scholarship that resituate the hidden curriculum concept within the magically expansive dance of social relationships, social learning, and social life that form the learning environments of health professions education.

  11. Case-Based Instruction: Improving Students' Conceptual Understanding through Cases in a Mechanical Engineering Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yadav, Aman; Vinh, Megan; Shaver, Gregory M.; Meckl, Peter; Firebaugh, Stephanie

    2014-01-01

    Recently, there has been a push within engineering curricula to adopt more learner-centered pedagogies, such as case-based instruction. Case-based instruction has been hypothesized to make the curriculum more relevant and motivating for students by pushing them to integrate the concepts they have learned with other experiences. The current study…

  12. Strategies to improve the performance of learners in a nursing college. Part I: Issues pertaining to nursing education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waterson, E; Harms, E; Qupe, L; Maritz, J; Manning, M; Makobe, K; Chabeli, M

    2006-05-01

    The aim of this contextual, exploratory, descriptive and qualitative study was to describe strategies to improve the performance of learners in a nursing college. The article seeks to deal with factors relating to nursing education that contribute to the poor performance of learners and to outline related strategies to improve the situation. Three focus group interviews were conducted. One group was formed by seven tutors, and the other two groups were formed by fourth-year learners following a four-year comprehensive diploma course. All participants voluntarily took part in the study. Data was analyzed using the descriptive method of open coding by Tesch (in Creswell, 1994:154-156). Trustworthiness was ensured in accordance with Lincoln and Guba's (1985:290-326) principles of credibility, conformability, transferability and dependability. The findings were categorized into issues pertaining to nursing education as follows: curriculum overload; lack of theory and practice integration; teaching and assessment methods that do not promote critical thinking; tutors' lack of skills and experience; inadequate preparation of tutors for lectures; insufficient knowledge of tutors regarding outcomes-based education approach to teaching and learning; inadequate process of remedial teaching; discrepancies between tutors' marking; lack of clinical role-models and high expectations from the affiliated university as regards standards of nursing development programme by the staff development committee of the nursing college under study for implementation. Future research should focus on the effectiveness of the described strategies to improve the learners' performance. It is also recommended that similar studies be conducted or replicated in other nursing colleges to address the problem of poor performance of learners engaged in a four-year comprehensive diploma course.

  13. Curriculum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robi Kroflič

    1997-12-01

    Full Text Available Modern curriculum theories emphasize that if we understand the curriculum as a real core substance of education. We have to bear in mind, when planning the curriculum, the whole multitude of factors (curricula which have an influence on the educational impact. In the field of andragogy, we especially have to consider educational needs, and linking the strategies of instruction with those of learning. The best way of realizing this principle is the open strategy of planning the national curriculum and process-developmental strategy of planning with the microandragogic situation. This planning strategy is S1m1lar to the system-integration strategy and Jarvis's model of negotiated curriculum, which derive from the basic andragogic principle: that the interests and capacities of adults for education increase if we enable them to cooperate in the planning and production of the curriculum.

  14. Precision Joining Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powell, J. W.; Westphal, D. A.

    1991-08-01

    A workshop to obtain input from industry on the establishment of the Precision Joining Center (PJC) was held on July 10-12, 1991. The PJC is a center for training Joining Technologists in advanced joining techniques and concepts in order to promote the competitiveness of U.S. industry. The center will be established as part of the DOE Defense Programs Technology Commercialization Initiative, and operated by EG&G Rocky Flats in cooperation with the American Welding Society and the Colorado School of Mines Center for Welding and Joining Research. The overall objectives of the workshop were to validate the need for a Joining Technologists to fill the gap between the welding operator and the welding engineer, and to assure that the PJC will train individuals to satisfy that need. The consensus of the workshop participants was that the Joining Technologist is a necessary position in industry, and is currently used, with some variation, by many companies. It was agreed that the PJC core curriculum, as presented, would produce a Joining Technologist of value to industries that use precision joining techniques. The advantage of the PJC would be to train the Joining Technologist much more quickly and more completely. The proposed emphasis of the PJC curriculum on equipment intensive and hands-on training was judged to be essential.

  15. How To Pick a Special Day Care Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colbert, Ronald P.

    This paper outlines seven specific areas that parents should examine when visiting a prospective child care center for their child. Parents should examine: (1) the center's staff; (2) the center's parent relations; (3) the physical and teaching environment; (4) the curriculum; (5) staff-child interaction; (6) the administration; and (7) their…

  16. Student and resident perspectives on professionalism: beliefs, challenges, and suggested teaching strategies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salinas-Miranda, Abraham A; Shaffer-Hudkins, Emily J; Bradley-Klug, Kathy L; Monroe, Alicia D H

    2014-05-10

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the views of medical students and residents regarding the practice of professionalism, their perceived challenges, and ideas for the development of a new curriculum in medical professionalism. Data were collected from four focus groups comprised of 27 residents and medical students recruited from the University of South Florida Morsani School of Medicine and Residency Programs between January and March 2012. A questioning protocol was used to guide the focus group discussion. Data were transcribed for thematic analysis. Learners expressed beliefs regarding key attributes of professional behaviors, factors perceived to be associated with lapses of professional behavior, skills that need to be taught, and strategies to teach professionalism from the learners' perspective. Learners perceived that the values of professionalism are often disconnected from the reality evidenced in clinical training due to a myriad of personal and contextual challenges. Residents and students need help in negotiating some of the challenges to medical professionalism that are encountered in clinical settings. We recommend a learner's centered model of curriculum development in medical professionalism that takes into consideration perceived challenges and strategies for modeling and reinforcing medical professionalism.

  17. Flipping Core Courses in the Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Curriculum: Heat Transfer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schrlau, Michael G.; Stevens, Robert J.; Schley, Sara

    2016-01-01

    Flipped classrooms support learner-centered approaches to improve conceptualization, comprehension, and problem solving skills by delivering content outside the classroom and actively engaging students inside the classroom. While literature in engineering and science education supports and encourages the use of inverted instruction, many core…

  18. Transitioning from a noon conference to an academic half-day curriculum model: effect on medical knowledge acquisition and learning satisfaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ha, Duc; Faulx, Michael; Isada, Carlos; Kattan, Michael; Yu, Changhong; Olender, Jeff; Nielsen, Craig; Brateanu, Andrei

    2014-03-01

    The academic half-day (AHD) curriculum is an alternative to the traditional noon conference in graduate medical education, yet little is known regarding its effect on knowledge acquisition and resident satisfaction. We investigated the association between the 2 approaches for delivering the curriculum and knowledge acquisition, as reflected by the Internal Medicine In-Training Examination (IM-ITE) scores and assessed resident learning satisfaction under both curricula. The Cleveland Clinic Internal Medicine Residency Program transitioned from the noon conference to the AHD curriculum in 2011. Covariates for residents enrolled from 2004 to 2011 were age; sex; type of medical degree; United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1, 2 Clinical Knowledge; and IM-ITE-1 scores. We performed univariable and multivariable linear regressions to investigate the association between covariates and IM-ITE-2 and IM-ITE-3 scores. Residents also were surveyed about their learning satisfaction in both curricula. Of 364 residents, 112 (31%) and 252 (69%) were exposed to the AHD and the noon conference curriculum, respectively. In multivariable analyses, the AHD curriculum was associated with higher IM-ITE-3 (regression coefficient, 4.8; 95% confidence interval 2.9-6.6) scores, and residents in the AHD curriculum had greater learning satisfaction compared with the noon conference cohort (Likert, 3.4 versus 3.0; P  =  .003). The AHD curriculum was associated with improvement in resident medical knowledge acquisition and increased learner satisfaction.

  19. Learning of social studies in elementary school as a medium to strengthen multicultural education in the curriculum era 2013

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nora Yulfia

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The writing of this article aims to describe the learning of social studies in elementary schools as a medium to strengthen multicultural education in the era of the curriculum 2013. Writing methods used are qualitative descriptions and literature studies. Social studiesis one of the subjects found in the basic education curriculum.Social studies essentially examines human relationships with the environment. The environment in question here is one of the ethnic, religious, racial, ethnic and linguistic diversity in Indonesian. Become, the context of social studies learning is multicultural education.Multicultural education is a process of developing human potential that values heterogeneity as a consequence of diversity based on the principle of equality, mutual respect, and mutual acceptance and understanding of the moral commitment to bring about social justice. But in fact, social studies learning has not been applied as a medium of multicultural education.Therefore, through the implementation of curriculum 2013 Social studies subjects as a medium to strengthen multicultural education.This is because the implementation of the 2013 curriculum is oriented towards the formation and development of learners' character in diversity.

  20. Residents' perceptions of an integrated longitudinal curriculum: a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lubitz, Rebecca; Lee, Joseph; Hillier, Loretta M

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore family medicine residents' perceptions of a newly restructured integrated longitudinal curriculum. A purposeful sample of 16 family medicine residents participated in focus group interviews conducted from a grounded theory perspective to identify the characteristics of this training model that contribute to and that challenge learning. Eight key themes were identified: continuity of care, relevance to family medicine, autonomy, program-focused preparation, professional development as facilitated by role modeling, patient volume, clarity of expectations for learners, and logistics. Positive learning experiences were marked by high levels of autonomy, continuity, and relevance to family medicine. Less favorable learning experiences were characterized by limited opportunities for continuity of care, limited relevance to family medicine practice and unclear expectations for the resident's role. Family physician-led learning experiences contributed to residents' understanding of the full scope of family medicine practice, more so than specialist-led experiences. The logistics of implementing the integrated block were challenging and negatively impacted continuity and learning. This study suggests that an integrated longitudinalized family medicine block training model has the potential to support the principles of a longitudinal integrated competency-based curriculum to effectively prepare residents for family medicine practice.

  1. Learner-Directed Nutrition Content for Medical Schools to Meet LCME Standards

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisa A. Hark

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Deficiencies in medical school nutrition education have been noted since the 1960s. Nutrition-related non-communicable diseases, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and obesity, are now the most common, costly, and preventable health problems in the US. Training medical students to assess diet and nutritional status and advise patients about a healthy diet, exercise, body weight, smoking, and alcohol consumption are critical to reducing chronic disease risk. Barriers to improving medical school nutrition content include lack of faculty preparation, limited curricular time, and the absence of funding. Several new LCME standards provide important impetus for incorporating nutrition into existing medical school curriculum as self-directed material. Fortunately, with advances in technology, electronic learning platforms, and web-based modules, nutrition can be integrated and assessed across all four years of medical school at minimal costs to medical schools. Medical educators have access to a self-study nutrition textbook, Medical Nutrition and Disease, Nutrition in Medicine© online modules, and the NHLBI Nutrition Curriculum Guide for Training Physicians. This paper outlines how learner-directed nutrition content can be used to meet several US and Canadian LCME accreditation standards. The health of the nation depends upon future physicians’ ability to help their patients make diet and lifestyle changes.

  2. NativeView: A Geospatial Curriculum for Native Nation Building

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rattling Leaf, J.

    2007-12-01

    In the spirit of collaboration and reciprocity, James Rattling Leaf of Sinte Gleska University on the Rosebud Reservation of South Dakota will present recent developments, experiences, insights and a vision for education in Indian Country. As a thirty-year young institution, Sinte Gleska University is founded by a strong vision of ancestral leadership and the values of the Lakota Way of Life. Sinte Gleska University (SGU) has initiated the development of a Geospatial Education Curriculum project. NativeView: A Geospatial Curriculum for Native Nation Building is a two-year project that entails a disciplined approach towards the development of a relevant Geospatial academic curriculum. This project is designed to meet the educational and land management needs of the Rosebud Lakota Tribe through the utilization of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing (RS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). In conjunction with the strategy and progress of this academic project, a formal presentation and demonstration of the SGU based Geospatial software RezMapper software will exemplify an innovative example of state of the art information technology. RezMapper is an interactive CD software package focused toward the 21 Lakota communities on the Rosebud Reservation that utilizes an ingenious concept of multimedia mapping and state of the art data compression and presentation. This ongoing development utilizes geographic data, imagery from space, historical aerial photography and cultural features such as historic Lakota documents, language, song, video and historical photographs in a multimedia fashion. As a tangible product, RezMapper will be a project deliverable tool for use in the classroom and to a broad range of learners.

  3. The Relationship between Learner Autonomy and Vocabulary Learning Strategies in Iranian EFL Learners with Different Language Proficiency Level

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ebrahim Azimi Mohammad Abadi

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Vocabulary learning is incredibly noteworthy to English language acquisition. It is unfeasible for a learner to communicate without the required vocabulary. In high education levels, learners are habitually forced to become autonomous and make conscious effort to learn vocabulary outside of the classroom. Consequently, the autonomy of the learners plays an important role in developing and enhancing their vocabulary. Learner autonomy is a huge assistance for learners in vocabulary learning since it provides the learners with numerous diverse privileges such as independency from teacher. The researcher investigated whether there is any statistically significant relationship between learner autonomy and vocabulary learning strategies use in Iranian EFL learners with different language proficiency levels. To meet the above purpose, a total number of 190 male and female EFL learners participated in this study. The methodology underlying this study was quantitative (thorough the administration of two questionnaires and two language proficiency test – TOEFL for advanced group, and Nelson for intermediate level. The quantitative data was analyzed using a set of correlational analysis revealing a significant positive correlation between learner autonomy and vocabulary learning strategies use in high proficient group, and a significant positive relationship between these two constructs in low proficient group, however not as strong as in the advanced group.

  4. Moving Beyond Accidental Leadership: A Graduate Medical Education Leadership Curriculum Needs Assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartzell, Joshua D; Yu, Clifton E; Cohee, Brian M; Nelson, Michael R; Wilson, Ramey L

    2017-07-01

    Despite calls for greater physician leadership, few medical schools, and graduate medical education programs provide explicit training on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to be an effective physician leader. Rather, most leaders develop through what has been labeled "accidental leadership." A survey was conducted at Walter Reed to define the current status of leadership development and determine what learners and faculty perceived as key components of a leadership curriculum. A branching survey was developed for residents and faculty to assess the perceived need for a graduate medical education leadership curriculum. The questionnaire was designed using survey best practices and established validity through subject matter expert reviews and cognitive interviewing. The survey instrument assessed the presence of a current leadership curriculum being conducted by each department, the perceived need for a leadership curriculum for physician leaders, the topics that needed to be included, and the format and timing of the curriculum. Administered using an online/web-based survey format, all 2,041 house staff and educators at Walter Reed were invited to participate in the survey. Descriptive statistics were conducted using SPSS (version 22). The survey response rate was 20.6% (421/2,041). Only 17% (63/266) of respondents stated that their program had a formal leadership curriculum. Trainees ranked their current leadership abilities as slightly better than moderately effective (3.22 on a 5-point effectiveness scale). Trainee and faculty availability were ranked as the most likely barrier to implementation. Topics considered significantly important (on a 5-point effectiveness scale) were conflict resolution (4.1), how to motivate a subordinate (4.0), and how to implement change (4.0). Respondents ranked the following strategies highest in perceived effectiveness on a 5-point scale (with 3 representing moderate effectiveness): leadership case studies (3.3) and

  5. Childhood Poverty and Its Effect on Health and Well-being: Enhancing Training for Learners Across the Medical Education Continuum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chamberlain, Lisa J; Hanson, Elizabeth R; Klass, Perri; Schickedanz, Adam; Nakhasi, Ambica; Barnes, Michelle M; Berger, Susan; Boyd, Rhea W; Dreyer, Benard P; Meyer, Dodi; Navsaria, Dipesh; Rao, Sheela; Klein, Melissa

    2016-04-01

    Childhood poverty is unacceptably common in the US and threatens the health, development, and lifelong well-being of millions of children. Health care providers should be prepared through medical curricula to directly address the health harms of poverty. In this article, authors from The Child Poverty Education Subcommittee (CPES) of the Academic Pediatric Association Task Force on Child Poverty describe the development of the first such child poverty curriculum for teachers and learners across the medical education continuum. Educators, physicians, trainees, and public health professionals from 25 institutions across the United States and Canada were convened over a 2-year period and addressed 3 goals: 1) define the core competencies of child poverty education, 2) delineate the scope and aims of a child poverty curriculum, and 3) create a child poverty curriculum ready to implement in undergraduate and graduate medical education settings. The CPES identified 4 core domains for the curriculum including the epidemiology of child poverty, poverty-related social determinants of health, pathophysiology of the health effects of poverty, and leadership and action to reduce and prevent poverty's health effects. Workgroups, focused on each domain, developed learning goals and objectives, built interactive learning modules to meet them, and created evaluation and faculty development materials to supplement the core curriculum. An editorial team with representatives from each workgroup coordinated activities and are preparing the final curriculum for national implementation. This comprehensive, standardized child poverty curriculum developed by an international group of educators in pediatrics and experts in the health effects of poverty should prepare medical trainees to address child poverty and improve the health of poor children. Copyright © 2016 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. The Pedagogical Challenges of Teaching High School Bioethics: Insights from the Exploring Bioethics Curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solomon, Mildred Z; Vannier, David; Chowning, Jeanne Ting; Miller, Jacqueline S; Paget, Katherine F

    2016-01-01

    A belief that high school students have the cognitive ability to analyze and assess moral choices and should be encouraged to do so but have rarely been helped to do so was the motivation for developing Exploring Bioethics, a six-module curriculum and teacher guide for grades nine through twelve on ethical issues in the life sciences. A multidisciplinary team of bioethicists, science educators, curriculum designers, scientists, and high school biology teachers worked together on the curriculum under a contract between the National Institutes of Health and Education Development Center, a nonprofit research and development organization with a long history of innovation in science education. At the NIH, the Department of Bioethics within the Clinical Center and the Office of Science Education within the Office of the Director guided the project.Our overarching goal for Exploring Bioethics was to introduce students to bioethics as a field of inquiry and to enable them to develop ethical reasoning skills so they could move beyond "gut reactions" to more nuanced positions. © 2016 The Hastings Center.

  7. Teaching learning methods of an entrepreneurship curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esmi, Keramat; Marzoughi, Rahmatallah; Torkzadeh, Jafar

    2015-10-01

    One of the most significant elements of entrepreneurship curriculum design is teaching-learning methods, which plays a key role in studies and researches related to such a curriculum. It is the teaching method, and systematic, organized and logical ways of providing lessons that should be consistent with entrepreneurship goals and contents, and should also be developed according to the learners' needs. Therefore, the current study aimed to introduce appropriate, modern, and effective methods of teaching entrepreneurship and their validation. This is a mixed method research of a sequential exploratory kind conducted through two stages: a) developing teaching methods of entrepreneurship curriculum, and b) validating developed framework. Data were collected through "triangulation" (study of documents, investigating theoretical basics and the literature, and semi-structured interviews with key experts). Since the literature on this topic is very rich, and views of the key experts are vast, directed and summative content analysis was used. In the second stage, qualitative credibility of research findings was obtained using qualitative validation criteria (credibility, confirmability, and transferability), and applying various techniques. Moreover, in order to make sure that the qualitative part is reliable, reliability test was used. Moreover, quantitative validation of the developed framework was conducted utilizing exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis methods and Cronbach's alpha. The data were gathered through distributing a three-aspect questionnaire (direct presentation teaching methods, interactive, and practical-operational aspects) with 29 items among 90 curriculum scholars. Target population was selected by means of purposive sampling and representative sample. Results obtained from exploratory factor analysis showed that a three factor structure is an appropriate method for describing elements of teaching-learning methods of entrepreneurship curriculum

  8. Young language learner (YLL research: An overview of some international and national approaches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ion Drew

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Growing attention is being given to young language learners (YLL, following a global trend to introduce foreign languages at earlier stages of the curriculum. This article provides an overview of some recent international YLL research and follows this up by comparing it to current YLL research in Norway. A YLL research network has recently been established in Norway in order to share and promote research in the field. Eight Norwegian YLL research projects, involving both English and other foreign languages, are presented. The scope of this research in Norway is compared with international research being conducted in the field. Although the Norwegian YLL research is active in certain areas, such as starting age of second foreign languages, teachers’ practices and attitudes, the use of extensive reading, vocabulary and the analysis of written texts, there appear to be gaps in other areas. These include research into the effects of story-telling and drama in the classroom, processes in writing, pupils’ cognitive skills, the use of textbooks and the effect of the curriculum. The establishment of a YLL network is considered as an important step in both consolidating current YLL research in Norway and initiating new research projects.

  9. A behavioral science/behavioral medicine core curriculum proposal for Japanese undergraduate medical education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsutsumi, Akizumi

    2015-01-01

    Behavioral science and behavioral medicine have not been systematically taught to Japanese undergraduate medical students. A working group under the auspices of Japanese Society of Behavioral Medicine developed an outcome-oriented curriculum of behavioral science/behavioral medicine through three processes: identifying the curriculum contents, holding a joint symposium with related societies, and defining outcomes and proposing a learning module. The behavioral science/behavioral medicine core curriculum consists of 11 units of lectures and four units of practical study. The working group plans to improve the current core curriculum by devising formative assessment methods so that students can learn and acquire attitude as well as the skills and knowledge necessary for student-centered clinical practice.

  10. Learner-Generated Noticing Behavior by Novice Learners: Tracing the Effects of Learners' L1 on Their Emerging L2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Eun Sung

    2013-01-01

    This study examines novice learners' self-generated input noticing approaches and strategies. It is motivated by previous research on input enhancement which yielded insights that learners are naturally prone to notice certain aspects of L2 input on their own without any external means to channel their attention. Two L1 groups (Japanese and…

  11. Learners' perceptions of learners regarded as having a homosexual orientation in an independent secondary school environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mostert, Hendrik P; Myburgh, Chris; Poggenpoel, Marie

    2012-10-04

    In schools today discrimination based on sexual orientation takes place on a regular basis. This form of discrimination leads to aggression towards learners perceived to be homosexual, as well as towards those with a homosexual orientation. For more than 15 years South Africa has been a democratic country with laws that protect learners who have a homosexual orientation. Nevertheless, aggression and discrimination towards these learners still occur in schools. Aggression often leads to verbal and physical bullying of the victims by perpetrators. The objectives of this research were to explore and describe Grade 11 learners' experiences of aggression towards learners perceived to be homosexual as well as those with a homosexual orientation in an independent secondary school environment. The research design was qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual in nature. The data for this investigation consisted of essays based on a published newspaper photograph, phenomenological group interviews, observations and field notes. Tesch's method of data analysis was used, and an independent coder assisted. Three themes were identified, discussed and supported by a literature control: that learners experience that it is right and acceptable to have a homosexual orientation; that they experience ambivalence towards homosexual orientation of learners; and experienced feelings that it is wrong to have a homosexual orientation. Recommended guidelines are provided to address aggression towards learners perceived to be homosexual and those with a homosexual orientation.

  12. Supporting teachers integrating web 2.0 in a Problem Based Learning approach

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buus, Lillian

    2010-01-01

    Based on theoretical and methodological considerations within problem-based learning (PBL), web 2.0 technologies and learning designs, the article try to illustrate a design model for supporting teachers in their learning design trying to integrate web 2.0 technologies into their PBL approach...... that a transition from curriculum-based teaching to PBL entails a movement from a teacher-centered approach to a learner-centered approach [4],[5]. This move can in many ways be compared to the conceptual move from web 1.0 to web 2.0 that by some is seen as a transition from ‘users/learners as consumers’ towards...... ‘users/learners as producers’ [6]. Consequently, it makes good sense to connect Web 2.0 with a problem-based approach to learning. Therefore it’s interesting to look upon a learning design model supporting teachers at AAU in their pedagogical design combining these two. The Collaborative E...

  13. A New Approach of an Intelligent E-Learning System Based on Learners' Skill Level and Learners' Success Rate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohamed, Hafidi; Lamia, Mahnane

    2015-01-01

    Learners usually meet cognitive overload and disorientation problems when using e-learning system. At present, most of the studies in e-learning either concentrate on the technological aspect or focus on adapting learner's interests or browsing behaviors, while, learner's skill level and learners' success rate is usually neglected. In this paper,…

  14. National Center for Mathematics and Science - who we are

    Science.gov (United States)

    Massachusetts-Dartmouth Expertise Areas Classroom discourse Sociocultural theory in mathematics teacher education The learnability of new ideas, such as complexity, chaos and nonlinear systems Center Research students' mathematical understanding Program evaluation Curriculum theory and reform Center Research

  15. ECG Rhythm Analysis with Expert and Learner-Generated Schemas in Novice Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blissett, Sarah; Cavalcanti, Rodrigo; Sibbald, Matthew

    2015-01-01

    Although instruction using expert-generated schemas is associated with higher diagnostic performance, implementation is resource intensive. Learner-generated schemas are an alternative, but may be limited by increases in cognitive load. We compared expert- and learner-generated schemas for learning ECG rhythm interpretation on diagnostic accuracy,…

  16. 41 CFR 50-202.3 - Learners, student learners, apprentices, and handicapped workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... than the minimum wage prescribed in § 50-202.2 to the same extent such employment is permitted under... Management Other Provisions Relating to Public Contracts PUBLIC CONTRACTS, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 202-MINIMUM WAGE DETERMINATIONS Groups of Industries § 50-202.3 Learners, student learners, apprentices, and...

  17. Antibullying workshops: shaping minority nursing leaders through curriculum innovation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egues, Aida L; Leinung, Elaine Z

    2014-01-01

    Bullying is a phenomenon that threatens nurse recruitment and retention. As such, nurse educators should be called upon to innovatively create ethical and safe informative and practice spaces for the development and socialization of future practicing nurses. Creation of such spaces would be especially important for learners of minority background needed to help care for our nation's growing populations. A variety of theory-driven strategies were employed to construct innovative workshops as part of teaching methodology for undergraduate nursing curriculum at a designated Hispanic- and minority-serving college. Nursing faculty provided the workshops in concert with mentored nursing student scholars who were likewise interested in bullying cessation. Surveys from 230 nursing student participants in workshops revealed a 10-33% increase in self-reported identification of various facets of the bullying phenomenon. Students' narrative reflections revealed personal experiences with bullying, a raised awareness of its phenomenon, and an improved dedication to ending bullying. Nurse educators can help influence antibullying awareness through workshops integrated into their program of study. This innovative curriculum strategy demonstrates nurse educator commitment to antibullying that is focused on guiding and promoting the advocacy of educational, leadership, and professional opportunities and skills growth for minority nursing student scholars. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Can the transition process from foundation doctor to neurosurgical specialty trainee be improved through “learner-centered induction programs”?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Acharya V

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Vikas Acharya,1 Sami Mansour,2 Samuel M Amis,3 Amir Reyahi3 1Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, 2Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, 3Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, Luton, UK Abstract: The transition period from foundation program doctor to specialty trainee can be difficult for junior doctors. This difficult period often acts as a major obstacle for learning in the workplace. Existing induction programs are commonly seen as inadequate at easing this transition, and therefore, a pilot study intervention was undertaken to assess if the initiation of “learner-centered induction programs” could help improve the confidence, knowledge acquisition, and satisfaction of junior doctors as they begin specialty training in neurosurgery. Ethnographic and anecdotal evidences were collated from junior doctors, specialty trainees, and consultants in order to investigate if further work on this subject would be beneficial. All participants were working in the Department of Neurosurgery at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, Coventry, UK, over a 4-week period in March/April 2015. A review of the relevant literature was also undertaken. This report found that despite the reservations around the increased organizational demands of induction programs of this nature, as well as concerns around a single junior doctor covering the ward alone during the induction period, feedback following the intervention was largely positive. Junior doctors appreciated being taught about their roles and responsibilities from their predecessors as well as deciding among themselves what topics they wanted covering. As a result, the induction sessions tended to focus on clinical skills rather than theoretical knowledge, which most of the junior doctors believed they could cover adequately in their own time. The junior doctors felt that they benefited from learning/refreshing their relevant practical

  19. Short Films in the EFL Classroom: Creating Resources for Teachers and Learners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paikar Fatima Mazhar Hameed

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to promote the use of films in learning English language in Qassim University, Saudi Arabia.  It also tends to explore whether or not the inappropriate use of media like computers and mobiles is the cause behind the learners' low level of proficiency in English. Further, it will shed light on the importance of using multimedia in creating a collaborative and more meaningful learning environment. With the growing use of ICT in education, pedagogies the world over have become more learner centered and function oriented. In Saudi Arabia, however, old, outmoded and conventional methods including the now redundant Grammar Translation Method are followed. The result is that EFL learners are barely equipped in the use of English in real life situations. This study is not only an analysis of the current situation but also a resource for the teachers who wish to include films in their EFL classrooms. Empirically, the study proves, albeit with a small sample of fifty students, that learning outcomes improve drastically with the use of films in English language teaching.

  20. Designing Competency-Based Materials for the Automotive Mechanics Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richardson, Roger L.

    1977-01-01

    Describes the Career Education Center's (Florida State University) development of the "Automotive Mechanics Catalog" (a job inventory noting performance objectives for specific occupational programs), using the Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of States (V-TECS) model. Also describes the development of curriculum materials using…

  1. Better data for teachers, better data for learners, better patient care: college-wide assessment at Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aron C. Sousa

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available When our school organized the curriculum around a core set of medical student competencies in 2004, it was clear that more numerous and more varied student assessments were needed. To oversee a systematic approach to the assessment of medical student competencies, the Office of College-wide Assessment was established, led by the Associate Dean of College-wide Assessment. The mission of the Office is to ‘facilitate the development of a seamless assessment system that drives a nimble, competency-based curriculum across the spectrum of our educational enterprise.’ The Associate Dean coordinates educational initiatives, developing partnerships to solve common problems, and enhancing synergy within the College. The Office also works to establish data collection and feedback loops to guide rational intervention and continuous curricular improvement. Aside from feedback, implementing a systems approach to assessment provides a means for identifying performance gaps, promotes continuity from undergraduate medical education to practice, and offers a rationale for some assessments to be located outside of courses and clerkships. Assessment system design, data analysis, and feedback require leadership, a cooperative faculty team with medical education expertise, and institutional support. The guiding principle is ‘Better Data for Teachers, Better Data for Learners, Better Patient Care.’ Better data empowers faculty to become change agents, learners to create evidence-based improvement plans and increases accountability to our most important stakeholders, our patients.

  2. Connected minds technology and today's learners

    CERN Document Server

    Pedrò, Francesc

    2012-01-01

    In all OECD countries, digital media and connectedness are integral to the lives of todays learners. It is often claimed that these learners are ""new millennium learners"", or ""digital natives"", who have different expectations about education. This book contributes to the debate about the effects of technology attachment and connectedness on todays learners, and their expectations about teaching. The book sets out to answer the following questions: Can the claim that todays students are ""new millenium learners"" or ""digital natives be sustained empirically? Is there consistent research evidence demonstrating the effects of technology on cognitive development, social values, and learning expectations? What are the implications for educational policy and practice?

  3. Assessing Climate Misconceptions of Middle School Learners and Teachers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahagian, D. L.; Anastasio, D. J.; Bodzin, A.; Cirucci, L.; Bressler, D.; Dempsey, C.; Peffer, T.

    2012-12-01

    ) environmental literacy and inquiry and (2) foster the development of geospatial thinking and reasoning using geospatial technologies as an essential component of the middle school science curriculum. The curriculum is designed to align instructional materials and assessments with learning goals. The following frameworks were used to provide guidelines for the climate change science content in addition to the science inquiry upon which schools must focus: Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences (U.S. Global Change Research Program, 2009) and the AAAS Project 2061 Communicating and Learning About Global Climate Change (AAAS, 2007). The curriculum is a coherent sequence of learning activities that include climate change investigations with Google Earth, Web-based interactivities that include an online carbon emissions calculator and a Web-based geologic time-line, and inquiry-based ("hands-on") laboratories. The climate change science topics include the atmosphere, Earth system energy balance, weather, greenhouse gases, paleoclimatology, and "humans and climate". It is hoped that with a solid foundation of climate science in the classroom, middle school learners will be in a position to evaluate new scientific discoveries, emerging data sets, and reasonably assess information and misinformation by which they are surrounded on a daily basis.

  4. Effective instruction for English learners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calderón, Margarita; Slavin, Robert; Sánchez, Marta

    2011-01-01

    The fastest-growing student population in U.S. schools today is children of immigrants, half of whom do not speak English fluently and are thus labeled English learners. Although the federal government requires school districts to provide services to English learners, it offers states no policies to follow in identifying, assessing, placing, or instructing them. Margarita Calderón, Robert Slavin, and Marta Sánchez identify the elements of effective instruction and review a variety of successful program models. During 2007-08, more than 5.3 million English learners made up 10.6 percent of the nation's K-12 public school enrollment. Wide and persistent achievement disparities between these English learners and English-proficient students show clearly, say the authors, that schools must address the language, literacy, and academic needs of English learners more effectively. Researchers have fiercely debated the merits of bilingual and English-only reading instruction. In elementary schools, English learners commonly receive thirty minutes of English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction but attend general education classes for the rest of the day, usually with teachers who are unprepared to teach them. Though English learners have strikingly diverse levels of skills, in high school they are typically lumped together, with one teacher to address their widely varying needs. These in-school factors contribute to the achievement disparities. Based on the studies presented here, Calderón, Slavin, and Sánchez assert that the quality of instruction is what matters most in educating English learners. They highlight comprehensive reform models, as well as individual components of these models: school structures and leadership; language and literacy instruction; integration of language, literacy, and content instruction in secondary schools; cooperative learning; professional development; parent and family support teams; tutoring; and monitoring implementation and outcomes

  5. Impacts and Feedbacks in a Warming Arctic: Engaging Diverse Learners in Geoscience Education and Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sparrow, Elena; Spellman, Katie; Fabbri, Cindy; Verbyla, David; Yoshikawa, Kenji; Fochesatto, Gilberto; Comiso, Josefino; Chase, Malinda; Jones, Debra; Bacsujlaky, Mara

    2016-04-01

    A warming climate has changed the timing of the seasons in the Arctic and elsewhere. Our project will engage learners in the investigation of the shifting seasons' impacts on vegetation, soils, hydrology, infrastructure, livelihoods, and communities and the feedbacks between these factors. Primary and secondary students, pre- and in-service teachers and lifelong learners will use historical and current National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) data, NASA experts, and the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) methods to help uncover the surprises from and consequences of earlier springs, warmer and later falls, changing ice cover, later freeze-up and earlier break-up of rivers and lakes. Key objectives are to: 1) provide new opportunities to bring NASA assets to learners of all ages, 2) enhance Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning and understanding of the Earth system, 3) improve STEM instruction, 4) enhance STEM experience of undergraduate students, and 5) increase participation of groups historically underrepresented in STEM such as Native Americans who are also more vulnerable to climate change impacts. Incorporating issues of local importance with national and global implications, into educational experiences will make learning relevant which may be helpful to communities in developing strategies for adaptation. We intend to use NASA assets (e.g. MODIS snow data, NDVI, Cloudsat, and SMAP data), GLOBE methodologies (classic and new ground observations and measurements) to develop and deliver curriculum materials including culturally responsive learning activities, course/modules, professional development workshops, and educational experiences using best practices in pedagogy such as constructivism, inquiry- and place- based, interdisciplinary and systems approach, and cutting-edge technology to reach a variety of target audiences, while improving STEM education. Audiences include K-12 teachers and their

  6. A theory-based curriculum design for remediation of residents' communication skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leung, Fok-Han; Martin, Dawn; Batty, Helen

    2009-12-01

    Residents requiring remediation are often deficient in communication skills, namely clinical interviewing skills. Residents have to digest large amounts of knowledge, and then apply it in a clinical interview. The patient-centered approach, as demonstrated in the Calgary-Cambridge model and Martin's Map, can be difficult to teach. Before implementing a remediation curriculum, the theoretical educational underpinnings must be sound; curriculum evaluation is often expensive. Before establishing metrics for curriculum evaluation, a starting point is to perform a mental experiment to test theoretical adherence. This article describes an experiential remedial curriculum for communication skills. Educational theories of Kolb, Knowles, Bandura, and Bloom are used to design the curriculum into theory-based design components. Kolb's experiential cycle models the natural sequence of experiencing, teaching, and learning interviewing skills. A curriculum structured around this cycle has multiple intercalations with the above educational theories. The design is strengthened by appropriately timed use of education strategies such as learning contracts, taped interviews, simulations, structured reflection, and teacher role modeling. Importantly, it also models the form of the clinical interview format desired. Through understanding and application of contemporary educational theories, a program to remediate interviewing skills can increase its potential for success.

  7. Gaming used as an informal instructional technique: effects on learner knowledge and satisfaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Webb, Travis P; Simpson, Deborah; Denson, Steven; Duthie, Edmund

    2012-01-01

    Jeopardy!, Concentration, quiz bowls, and other gaming formats have been incorporated into health sciences classroom and online education. However, there is limited information about the impact of these strategies on learner engagement and outcomes. To address this gap, we hypothesized that gaming would lead to a significant increase in retained short- and long-term medical knowledge with high learner session satisfaction. Using the Jeopardy! game show model as a primary instructional technique to teach geriatrics, 8 PGY2 General Surgery residents were divided into 2 teams and competed to provide the "question" to each stated "answer" during 5 protected block curriculum units (1-h/U). A surgical faculty facilitator acted as the game host and provided feedback and brief elaboration of quiz answers/questions as necessary. Each quiz session contained two 25-question rounds. Paper-based pretests and posttests contained questions related to all core curriculum unit topics with 5 geriatric gaming questions per test. Residents completed the pretests 3 days before the session and a delayed posttest of geriatric topics on average 9.2 weeks (range, 5-12 weeks) after the instructional session. The cumulative average percent correct was compared between pretests and posttests using the Student t test. The residents completed session evaluation forms using Likert scale ratings after each gaming session and each protected curriculum block to assess educational value. A total of 25 identical geriatric preunit and delayed postunit questions were administered across the instructional sessions. The combined pretest average score across all 8 residents was 51.5% for geriatric topics compared with 59.5% (p = 0.12) for all other unit topics. Delayed posttest geriatric scores demonstrated a statistically significant increase in retained medical knowledge with an average of 82.6% (p = 0.02). The difference between delayed posttest geriatric scores and posttest scores of all other unit

  8. MOOCs from the Viewpoint of the Learner: A Response to Perna et al. (2014)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiebe, Eric; Thompson, Isaac; Behrend, Tara

    2015-01-01

    This response to Perna et al. provides an alternate approach to research on massive open online courses (MOOCs). We argue that a student-centered, theory-driven conceptualization and methodological approaches allow us to move beyond descriptive statistics and into a deeper understanding of MOOC learners. Examples using a teacher development MOOC…

  9. Training for Content Teachers of English Language Learners: Using Experiential Learning to Improve Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bohon, Leslie L.; McKelvey, Susan; Rhodes, Joan A.; Robnolt, Valerie J.

    2017-01-01

    Experiential learning theory places experience at the center of learning. Kolb's four-stage cycle of experiential learning suggests that effective learners must engage fully in each stage of the cycle--feeling, reflection, thinking, and action. This research assesses the alignment of Kolb's experiential learning cycle with the week-long Summer…

  10. Chinese English Learners' Strategic Competence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Dianjian; Lai, Hongling; Leslie, Michael

    2015-12-01

    The present study aims to investigate Chinese English learners' ability to use communication strategies (CSs). The subjects are put in a relatively real English referential communication setting and the analyses of the research data show that Chinese English learners, when encountering problems in foreign language (FL) communication, are characterized by the frequent use of substitution, approximation, circumlocution, literal translation, exemplification, word-coinage, repetition, and the infrequent use of cultural-knowledge and paralinguistic CSs. The rare use of paralinguistic strategies is found to be typical of Chinese English learners. The high frequency of literal translation, one first language (L1)-based strategy in our study sample, suggests that FL learners' use of L1-based CSs may depend more upon the developmental stage of their target language than the typology distance between L1 and the target language. The frequency of repetition reveals one fact that the Chinese English learners lack variety and flexibility in their use of CSs. Based on these findings, it was indicated that learners' use of CSs is influenced by a variety of factors, among which the development stage of their interlanguage and their cultural background are identified as two important factors. Some implications are finally suggested for the English foreign language teaching practice in China.

  11. What Is This Thing Called Learner's Lexicography?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Sandro

    2010-01-01

    Learner lexicography as a research area has attracted increased attention during the past decades, but what is actually the true nature of learner lexicography? This question calls for a complex answer. Learner lexicography has as its objective to develop principles that help practitioners......, namely its functions, data and structures, as this strengthens the basis of learner lexicography because it leads to a proper study and understanding of the competences and needs of learners. Finally, the modern theory of dictionary functions encourages theoretical and practical lexicographers to adopt...

  12. A CURRICULUM FOR ENGLISH, TEACHER PACKET, GRADE 9.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nebraska Univ., Lincoln. Curriculum Development Center.

    THE NEBRASKA ENGLISH CURRICULUM FOR GRADE NINE FOCUSES ON THE CONCEPT OF GENRE AND ACCOMPANYING LITERARY ATTITUDES AND DEVICES. SATIRE, COMEDY, AND THE EPIC ARE THE SUBJECTS OF THE LITERARY PROGRAM. LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION STUDIES, BUILDING UPON EIGHTH-GRADE LANGUAGE HISTORY AND SYNTAX UNITS, CENTER ON GEOGRAPHIC AND SOCIAL DIALECTS, PHONOLOGY,…

  13. Homelessness in the Medical Curriculum: An Analysis of Case-Based Learning Content From One Canadian Medical School.

    Science.gov (United States)

    To, Matthew J; MacLeod, Anna; Hwang, Stephen W

    2016-01-01

    PHENOMENON: Homelessness is a major public health concern. Given that homeless individuals have high rates of mortality and morbidity, are more likely to be users of the healthcare system, and often report unmet health needs, it is important to examine how homelessness is addressed in medical education. We wanted to examine content and framing of issues related to homelessness in the case-based learning (CBL) curriculum and provide insights about whether medical students are being adequately trained to meet the health needs of homeless individuals through CBL. CBL content at a Canadian medical school that featured content related to homelessness was analyzed. Data were extracted from cases for the following variables: curriculum unit (e.g., professionalism/ethics curriculum or biomedical/clinical curriculum), patient characteristics (e.g., age, sex), and medical and social conditions. A thematic analysis was performed on cases related to homelessness. Discrepancies in analysis were resolved by consensus. Homelessness was mentioned in five (2.6%) of 191 CBL cases in the medical curriculum. Homelessness was significantly more likely to be featured in professionalism/ethics cases than in biomedical/clinical cases (p = .03). Homeless patients were portrayed as socially disadvantaged individuals, and medical learners were prompted to discuss ethical issues related to homeless patients in cases. However, homeless individuals were largely voiceless in cases. Homelessness was associated with serious physical and mental health concerns, but students were rarely prompted to address these concerns. Insights: The health and social needs of homeless individuals are often overlooked in CBL cases in the medical curriculum. Moreover, stereotypes of homelessness may be reinforced through medical training. There are opportunities for growth in addressing the needs of homeless individuals through medical education.

  14. An Educational Plan for Nursing Staff in the Procedural Treatment Unit of the Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Esther; Daugherty, JoAnn

    2016-04-01

    Professional education for health practitioners is a continuum which commences with the first year professional school until the cessation of a professional career. This article draws on the theories and models developed by experts in curriculum design, teaching, and learning evaluation to better understand the intricacies and challenges of instructional design. Selected models, in particular Malcolm Knowles and the World Health Organization report served as a compass and benchmark to illuminate, guide, and evaluate the impact, process, contents, and outcomes of an educational program for the stakeholders. The aim of this educational program is to ensure that learners develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to deliver competent and quality patient-centered care. Multimodal teaching strategies are essential to meet the diverse needs of staff. Utilization of technology such as intranet and mobile applications helps to deliver educational content in a cost-effective manner. Program evaluation determines the effectiveness of teaching and helps to define ongoing needs of staff. Copyright © 2016 American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Teacher change and professional development: A case study of teachers engaged in an innovative constructivist science curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akura, Okong'o. Gabriel

    This study examined both the changes that elementary school teachers experienced when they implemented a reform-based science curriculum and the impact of professional development on this transformation. The research involved a case study of three purposefully selected teachers implementing the Linking Food and the Environment (LIFE) program during the 2002--2003 school year. The LIFE program is a curriculum designed to enhance science literacy among learners from high poverty urban environments. While the study was grounded in the tradition of critical theory (Carspecken, 1996), the theoretical perspective of hermeneutic phenomenology (van Manen, 1990) guided data collection and analysis. Extensive observations of the teachers were made in order to capture and record the teacher change phenomenon. Data were recorded by means of field notes, audio and videotapes, semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and video Stimulated Recall (SR) interviews. Emerging themes relating to teacher change, knowledge interests, constructivist pedagogy, and professional development illustrated how teachers grapple with various aspects of implementing a reform-based science curriculum. The teachers in this study were similar to those in earlier investigations, which found that sustained professional development programs involving mentoring and constant reflection enable elementary science teachers to change their instructional strategies from the technical-realist orientation towards the practical-hermeneutic and emancipatory-liberatory orientations. The study has implications for science curriculum developers and designers of professional development programs.

  16. Value Innovation in Learner-Centered Design. How to Develop Valuable Learning Tools.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Henning Breuer

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper shows how to address technological, cultural and social transformations with empirically grounded innovation. Areas in transition such as higher education and learning techniques today bring about new needs and opportunities for innovative tools and services. But how do we find these tools? The paper argues for using a strategy of (user value innovation that creatively combines ethnographic methods with strategic industry analysis. By focusing on unmet and emerging needs ethnographic research identifies learner values, needs and challenges but does not determine solutions. Blue-ocean strategy tools can identify new opportunities that alter existing offerings but give weak guidance on what will be most relevant to users. The triangulation of both is illustrated through an innovation project in higher education.

  17. Qualitative development of eLearning environments through a learner relationship management methodology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fattaneh Taghiyareh

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Due to paramount importance of knowledge, life-long learning, globalization, and mobility; eLearning as an information technology application has faced rapid growth in recent years. Disseminated war for talent enforces providers of eLearning products to identify technological gaps of learning and provide personalized services for customers of this industry. As we may know, designing customer-centered environments and managing end-user relations are the most effective elements in the market gain, due to the importance of customer satisfaction. The special features of eLearning systems with respect to their centers and users make them appropriate realms for applying a Customer Relationship Management (CRM methodology. Learner Relationship Management (LRM, which is more specialized than CRM in eLearning context, plays a significant role in improving quality of services, enhancing learners’ satisfaction and retention, keeping them, and recruitment new users. LRM provides an integrated infrastructure for eLearning systems and helps them to analyse learners’ capabilities and find the best match to overcome the turbulent environment and tight competition. Also, by improving the service quality and enhancing teaching and learning flows, LRM offers personalized instructions to learners.

  18. Teachers of adults as learners

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lund Larsen, Lea

    This poster is a part of an on-going qualitative empirical research project: “Teachers of adults as learners. A study on teachers’ experiences in practice”. Adult learners have particular needs and characteristics that their teachers must be able to address. Some of the competencies that teachers...... need can be taught in formal settings, but in most teaching settings, the teachers act alone and develop their pedagogical approaches/-teaching strategies with no synchronous sparring from a colleague. Adult learners have particular needs and characteristics that their teachers must be able to address...... (cf. Knowles, Brookfield, Illeris, Lawler, King, Wahlgreen). If we study adult teachers as learners in practice, we may be able to identify what the teachers’ practice requires, and thereby qualify the efforts of teacher educators....

  19. Overcoming barriers to interprofessional education in gerontology: the Interprofessional Curriculum for the Care of Older Adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Schapmire TJ

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Tara J Schapmire,1,2 Barbara A Head,1,2 Whitney A Nash,3 Pamela A Yankeelov,2,4 Christian D Furman,1,4,5 R Brent Wright,5 Rangaraj Gopalraj,5 Barbara Gordon,6 Karen P Black,3 Carol Jones,1 Madri Hall-Faul,6 Anna C Faul2,4,7 1Division of General Internal Medicine, Palliative Care and Medical Education, University of Louisville School of Medicine, 2Kent School of Social Work, 3School of Nursing, 4The Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging, University of Louisville, 5Division of Geriatric Medicine, University of Louisville School of Medicine, 6Kentuckiana Regional Planning & Development Agency, Louisville, KY, USA; 7Department of Social Work, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa Abstract: A fragmented workforce consisting of multiple disciplines with varying levels of training and limited ability to work as a team often provides care to older adults. Interprofessional education (IPE is essential for preparing practitioners for the effective teamwork required for community-based, holistic, person-centered care of the older adults. Despite numerous programs and offerings to advance education and interdisciplinary patient care, there is an unmet need for geriatric IPE, especially as it relates to community-dwelling older adults and caregivers in medically underserved areas. A core group of university faculty from multiple disciplines received funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program to collaborate with community-based providers from several Area Agencies on Aging in the creation and implementation of the Interprofessional Curriculum for the Care of Older Adults (iCCOA. This geriatric curriculum is interprofessional, comprehensive, and community-based. Learners include third-year nursing students, nurse practitioner students, third-year medical students, internal medicine and family medicine residents, master’s level social work students, third-year pharmacy

  20. Exploring Part-Time Teacher Professional Development and Best Practices on Adult Learners' Outcomes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Sandra K.

    2017-01-01

    The issue of limited part-time teacher professional development and its effect on adult learners' success at an adult education center in the northeast United States was addressed in this study. At the research site, almost 50% of the teaching staff are adjuncts. Professional development opportunities have been limited, with only 1 opportunity…

  1. Emotional Intelligence of Self Regulated Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rathore, Ami

    2018-01-01

    The study was conducted on self regulated learners of senior secondary school. The main objectives of the study were to find out significant dimensions of emotional intelligence held by self regulated learners. To compare the emotional intelligence dimensions of self regulated learners, in terms of subject and gender. To find out the relationship…

  2. Exploring student preferences with a Q-sort: the development of an individualized renal physiology curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, John K; Hargett, Charles W; Nagler, Alisa; Jakoi, Emma; Lehrich, Ruediger W

    2015-09-01

    Medical education reform is underway, but the optimal course for change has yet to be seen. While planning for the redesign of a renal physiology course at the Duke School of Medicine, the authors used a Q-sort survey to assess students' attitudes and learning preferences to inform curricular change. The authors invited first-year medical students at the Duke School of Medicine to take a Q-sort survey on the first day of renal physiology. Students prioritized statements related to their understanding of renal physiology, learning preferences, preferred course characteristics, perceived clinical relevance of renal physiology, and interest in nephrology as a career. By-person factor analysis was performed using the centroid method. Three dominant factors were strongly defined by learning preferences: "readers" prefer using notes, a textbook, and avoid lectures; "social-auditory learners" prefer attending lectures, interactivity, and working with peers; and "visual learners" prefer studying images, diagrams, and viewing materials online. A smaller, fourth factor represented a small group of students with a strong predisposition against renal physiology and nephrology. In conclusion, the Q-sort survey identified and then described in detail the dominant viewpoints of our students. Learning style preferences better classified first-year students rather than any of the other domains. A more individualized curriculum would simultaneously cater to the different types of learners in the classroom. Copyright © 2015 The American Physiological Society.

  3. Dental Hygiene Curriculum Model for Transition to Future Roles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paarmann, Carlene S.; And Others

    1990-01-01

    The establishment of the baccalaureate degree as the minimum entry level for dental hygiene practice centers around three main concerns: changes in health care delivery, awarding of a degree commensurate with students' educational background, and the credibility of dental hygiene as a profession. A curriculum model is discussed. (MLW)

  4. Information Needs of Distance Learners: A Case of Winneba Study Center, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larson, Agatha Gifty; Owusu-Acheaw, Michael

    2016-01-01

    The study focuses on the information needs of distance learners of the Winneba Study Centre of the University of Education, Winneba. The main objective was to investigate the information needs of this group of students who live far away from their host institution and have minimal interaction with their tutors. The study was a survey and made use…

  5. Motivation In Second language learning In China

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    郑葳

    2017-01-01

    Motivation is the indispensable condition for a student's learning success. As a foreign language teacher, they should motivate the second language learners by promoting positive language-related values. Dornyei identifies three value dimensions. They are intrinsic value, integrative value and instrumental value. In China, the Communicative Language Teaching is an innovation approach and learner- centered. The CLT approach and curriculum have motivated students' interest, appreciation and values in learning English. In English classroom, the teacher should establish the cooperative situation rather than the competitive environment in order to arouse the students' motivation and reduce the psychological pressure.

  6. How Do Chinese ESL Learners Recognize English Words during a Reading Test? A Comparison with Romance-Language-Speaking ESL Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Hongli; Suen, Hoi K.

    2015-01-01

    This study examines how Chinese ESL learners recognize English words while responding to a multiple-choice reading test as compared to Romance-language-speaking ESL learners. Four adult Chinese ESL learners and three adult Romance-language-speaking ESL learners participated in a think-aloud study with the Michigan English Language Assessment…

  7. Speaking out on Behalf of the Voiceless Learners: Written Corrective Feedback for English Language Learners in Iran

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nemati, Majid; Alavi, Sayyed Mohammad; Mohebbi, Hassan; Masjedlou, Ali Panahi

    2017-01-01

    To date, L2 researchers have studied the effect of feedback on improving L2 learners' writing from different perspectives. However, there are a lot of aspects which are not comprehensively researched yet, such as L2 learners' and teachers' perceptions and practices about feedback. To close the gap, this study investigates language learners'…

  8. Curriculum, Curriculum Development, Curriculum Studies? Problematising Theoretical Ambiguities in Doctoral Theses in the Education Field

    Science.gov (United States)

    du Preez, Petro; Simmonds, Shan

    2014-01-01

    Theoretical ambiguities in curriculum studies result in conceptual mayhem. Accordingly, they hinder the development of the complicated conversation on curriculum as a verb. This article aims to contribute to reconceptualizing curriculum studies as a dynamic social practice that aspires to thinking and acting with intelligences and sensitivity so…

  9. Prioritization in medical school simulation curriculum development using survey tools and desirability function: a pilot experiment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ingrassia, Pier Luigi; Barozza, Ludovico Giovanni; Franc, Jeffrey Michael

    2018-01-01

    In Italy, there is no framework of procedural skills that all medical students should be able to perform autonomously at graduation. The study aims at identifying (1) a set of essential procedural skills and (2) which abilities could be potentially taught with simulation. Desirability score was calculated for each procedure to determine the most effective manner to proceed with simulation curriculum development. A web poll was conducted at the School of Medicine in Novara, looking at the level of expected and self-perceived competency for common medical procedures. Three groups were enrolled: (1) faculty, (2) junior doctors in their first years of practice, and (3) recently graduated medical students. Level of importance of procedural skills for independent practice expressed by teachers, level of mastery self-perceived by learners (students and junior doctors) and suitability of simulation training for the given technical skills were measured. Desirability function was used to set priorities for future learning. The overall mean expected level of competency for the procedural skills was 7.9/9. Mean level of self reported competency was 4.7/9 for junior doctors and 4.4/9 for recently graduated students. The highest priority skills according to the desirability function were urinary catheter placement, nasogastric tube insertion, and incision and drainage of superficial abscesses. This study identifies those technical competencies thought by faculty to be important and assessed the junior doctors and recent graduates level of self-perceived confidence in performing these skills. The study also identifies the perceived utility of teaching these skills by simulation. The study prioritizes those skills that have a gap between expected and observed competency and are also thought to be amenable to teaching by simulation. This allows immediate priorities for simulation curriculum development in the most effective manner. This methodology may be useful to researchers in

  10. The Curriculum Customization Service: A Tool for Customizing Earth Science Instruction and Supporting Communities of Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melhado, L. C.; Devaul, H.; Sumner, T.

    2010-12-01

    Accelerating demographic trends in the United States attest to the critical need to broaden access to customized learning: reports refer to the next decade as the era of “extreme diversity” in K-12 classrooms, particularly in large urban school districts. This diverse student body possesses a wide range of knowledge, skills, and abilities in addition to cultural differences. A single classroom may contain students with different levels of quantitative skills, different levels of English language proficiency, and advanced students preparing for college-level science. A uniform curriculum, no matter how well designed and implemented, cannot possibly serve the needs of such diverse learners equally well. Research has shown positive learning outcomes when pedagogical strategies that customize instruction to address specific learner needs are implemented, with under-achieving students often benefiting most. Supporting teachers in the effective adoption and use of technology to meet these instructional challenges is the underlying goal of the work to be presented here. The Curriculum Customization Service (CCS) is an integrated web-based platform for middle and high school Earth science teachers designed to facilitate teachers’ instructional planning and delivery; enhancing existing curricula with digital library resources and shared teacher-contributed materials in the context of articulated learning goals. The CCS integrates interactive resources from the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) with an inquiry-based curriculum component developed by the American Geological Institute (EarthComm and Investigating Earth Systems). The digital library resources emphasize visualizations and animations of Earth processes that often challenge students’ understanding, offering multiple representations of phenomena to address different learning styles, reading abilities, and preconceived ideas. Teachers can access these materials, as well as those created or

  11. Researching transformative learning spaces through learners' stories

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Maslo, Elina

    spaces, learning to learn through languages, learners´ stories, qualitative research method Methodology or Methods/Research Instruments or Sources Used A number of semi structured qualitative interviews have been conducted with three learners of Danish as second language. The language learners...... in the paper is on the research process and methodological tools. The goal of this paper is to show, that learners´ stories have a huge potential in researching learning processes. References Benson, P. & D. Nunan (2004). Lerners´ stories. Difference and Diversity in Language Learning. Cambridge University...... to use learners´ stories as a research methodology in the field of learning in general and language learning in particular....

  12. Reno Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship business curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Althausen, Peter L; Bray, Timothy J; Hill, Austin D

    2014-07-01

    The Reno Orthopaedic Center (ROC) Trauma Fellowship business curriculum is designed to provide the fellow with a graduate level business practicum and research experience. The time commitments in a typical 12-month trauma fellowship are significant, rendering a traditional didactic master's in business administration difficult to complete during this short time. An organized, structured, practical business education can provide the trauma leaders of tomorrow with the knowledge and experience required to effectively navigate the convoluted and constantly changing healthcare system. The underlying principle throughout the curriculum is to provide the fellow with the practical knowledge to participate in cost-efficient improvements in healthcare delivery. Through the ROC Trauma Fellowship business curriculum, the fellow will learn that delivering healthcare in a manner that provides better outcomes for equal or lower costs is not only possible but a professional and ethical responsibility. However, instilling these values without providing actionable knowledge and programs would be insufficient and ineffective. For this reason, the core of the curriculum is based on individual teaching sessions with a wide array of hospital and private practice administrators. In addition, each section is equipped with a suggested reading list to maximize the learning experience. Upon completion of the curriculum, the fellow should be able to: (1) Participate in strategic planning at both the hospital and practice level based on analysis of financial and clinical data, (2) Understand the function of healthcare systems at both a macro and micro level, (3) Possess the knowledge and skills to be strong leaders and effective communicators in the business lexicon of healthcare, (4) Be a partner and innovator in the improvement of the delivery of orthopaedic services, (5) Combine scientific and strategic viewpoints to provide an evidence-based strategy for improving quality of care in a

  13. Integrated Curriculum and Subject-based Curriculum: Achievement and Attitudes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casady, Victoria

    The research conducted for this mixed-method study, qualitative and quantitative, analyzed the results of an academic year-long study to determine whether the use of an integrated fourth grade curriculum would benefit student achievement in the areas of English language arts, social studies, and science more than a subject-based traditional curriculum. The research was conducted based on the international, national, and state test scores, which show a slowing or lack of growth. Through pre- and post-assessments, student questionnaires, and administrative interviews, the researcher analyzed the phenomenological experiences of the students to determine if the integrated curriculum was a beneficial restructuring of the curriculum. The research questions for this study focused on the achievement and attitudes of the students in the study and whether the curriculum they were taught impacted their achievement and attitudes over the course of one school year. The curricula for the study were organized to cover the current standards, where the integrated curriculum focused on connections between subject areas to help students make connections to what they are learning and the world beyond the classroom. The findings of this study indicated that utilizing the integrated curriculum could increase achievement as well as students' attitudes toward specific content areas. The ANOVA analysis for English language arts was not determined to be significant; although, greater growth in the students from the integrated curriculum setting was recorded. The ANOVA for social studies (0.05) and the paired t-tests (0.001) for science both determined significant positive differences. The qualitative analysis led to the discovery that the experiences of the students from the integrated curriculum setting were more positive. The evaluation of the data from this study led the researcher to determine that the integrated curriculum was a worthwhile endeavor to increase achievement and attitudes

  14. Adjusting to future demands in healthcare: Curriculum changes and nursing students' self-reported professional competence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theander, Kersti; Wilde-Larsson, Bodil; Carlsson, Marianne; Florin, Jan; Gardulf, Ann; Johansson, Eva; Lindholm, Christina; Nordström, Gun; Nilsson, Jan

    2016-02-01

    Nursing competence is of significant importance for patient care. Newly graduated nursing students rate their competence as high. However, the impact of different designs of nursing curricula on nursing students' self-reported nursing competence areas is seldom reported. To compare newly graduated nursing students' self-reported professional competence before and after the implementation of a new nursing curriculum. The study had a descriptive comparative design. Nursing students, who graduated in 2011, having studied according to an older curriculum, were compared with those who graduated in 2014, after a new nursing curriculum with more focus on person-centered nursing had been implemented. A higher education nursing program at a Swedish university. In total, 119 (2011 n=69, 2014 n=50) nursing students responded. Nursing students' self-reported professional competencies were assessed with the Nurse Professional Competence (NPC) scale. There were no significant differences between the two groups of nursing students, who graduated in 2011 and 2014, respectively, with regard to age, sex, education, or work experience. Both groups rated their competencies as very high. Competence in value-based nursing was perceived to be significantly higher after the change in curriculum. The lowest competence, both in 2011 and 2014, was reported in education and supervision of staff and students. Our findings indicate that newly graduated nursing students - both those following the old curriculum and the first batch of students following the new one - perceive that their professional competence is high. Competence in value-based nursing, measured with the NPC scale, was reported higher after the implementation of a new curriculum, reflecting curriculum changes with more focus on person-centered nursing. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Profiling Learners' Achievement Goals when Completing Academic Essays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Chi-Hung Clarence

    2009-01-01

    This study explored adult learners' goal profiles in relation to the completion of a compulsory academic essay. Based on learners' scores on items assessing mastery, performance-approach, and work-avoidance goals, cluster analyses produced three distinct categories of learners: performance-focused, work-avoidant, and multiple-goal learners. These…

  16. Issues of promoting learner autonomy in EFL context

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pichugova Inna L.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper is focuded on investigating the phenomenon of learner autonomy, which has mostly been explored in Europe and the USA and is now attracting attention of researchers and academics in many other countries including Russia. Learner autonomy through a focus on learner reflection and taking responsibility for one’s own learning processes has become a central concern in the recent history of language teaching. However, many language teachers, who are committed to concepts of learnercentredness and autonomy, struggle with the ways to foster learner autonomy or at least to encourage the idea of learner autonomy in language classroom. The study aims at investigating what the most important issues which have a great impact on developing learner autonomy are. Having given special attention to conditions which can insure development of learner autonomy, a model covering seven issues relating to the subject matter has been designed. The authors state that such aspects as choice, goals and needs, support, emotional climate, learning strategies, learner attitude and motivation, and self-esteem should be considered as the goal to promote learner autonomy in EFL context.

  17. Flexible provisioning for adult learners

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hermans, Henry; Janssen, José; Vogten, Hubert; Koper, Rob

    2014-01-01

    In adult education there is a continuous, growing demand for learning opportunities that fit the specific characteristics and preferences of particular learner groups or individual learners. This requires educational institutions to rethink their business and educational models, and develop more

  18. Learners' Ensemble Based Security Conceptual Model for M-Learning System in Malaysian Higher Learning Institution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahalingam, Sheila; Abdollah, Faizal Mohd; Sahib, Shahrin

    2014-01-01

    M-Learning has a potential to improve efficiency in the education sector and has a tendency to grow advance and transform the learning environment in the future. Yet there are challenges in many areas faced when introducing and implementing m-learning. The learner centered attribute in mobile learning implies deployment in untrustworthy learning…

  19. A CURRICULUM FOR ENGLISH, GRADE 3, UNITS 23-33.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nebraska Univ., Lincoln. Curriculum Development Center.

    THE NEBRASKA ENGLISH CURRICULUM FOR GRADE THREE CONTINUES TO CENTER ON THE READING OF LITERATURE, WITH RELATED LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION ACTIVITIES. TO STRENGTHEN CHILDREN'S AWARENESS OF THE ORAL AND REPETITIVE PATTERNS IN FOLK LITERATURE AND OF THE LITERARY PURPOSES OF THESE DEVICES, SEVERAL GRIMM FAIRY TALES ARE READ AND THEN COMPARED WITH MODERN…

  20. Improving Learner Handovers in Medical Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warm, Eric J; Englander, Robert; Pereira, Anne; Barach, Paul

    2017-07-01

    Multiple studies have demonstrated that the information included in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation fails to reliably predict medical students' future performance. This faulty transfer of information can lead to harm when poorly prepared students fail out of residency or, worse, are shuttled through the medical education system without an honest accounting of their performance. Such poor learner handovers likely arise from two root causes: (1) the absence of agreed-on outcomes of training and/or accepted assessments of those outcomes, and (2) the lack of standardized ways to communicate the results of those assessments. To improve the current learner handover situation, an authentic, shared mental model of competency is needed; high-quality tools to assess that competency must be developed and tested; and transparent, reliable, and safe ways to communicate this information must be created.To achieve these goals, the authors propose using a learner handover process modeled after a patient handover process. The CLASS model includes a description of the learner's Competency attainment, a summary of the Learner's performance, an Action list and statement of Situational awareness, and Synthesis by the receiving program. This model also includes coaching oriented towards improvement along the continuum of education and care. Just as studies have evaluated patient handover models using metrics that matter most to patients, studies must evaluate this learner handover model using metrics that matter most to providers, patients, and learners.

  1. Culturally responsible curriculum development in hospitality, tourism and events management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erwin Losekoot

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper considers the importance of the Treaty of Waitangi (1840 to Higher Education in New Zealand and how this influences the educational experience of hospitality, tourism and event management students. The paper reviews the literature on cultural diversity, internationalization and curriculum development, the role of culture in educating domestic and international students, and how the acculturation Higher Education students experience as part of their studies might lead to a deeper understanding of culture and identity in the hospitality workplace. The gap in the literature concerns how a higher education curriculum can assist in the development of cultural awareness and an understanding of historical commitments. The paper therefore identifies a number of key principles which are regarded as essential to the identity of those living in New Zealand/Aotearoa. The paper then goes on to illustrate how these principles could be applied to Higher Education. It suggests that these principles enshrined in the Treaty of Waitangi are also worth considering when creating an inclusive curriculum which supports all hospitality, tourism and events management students, irrespective of ethnic background, culture or upbringing. Finally, this paper proposes a matrix of ‘hooks’ - tools which academics can use to ensure their lectures address the needs of all learners. This matrix is developed from a study of the educational goals of the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi (ToW, the founding document of this country. This research adds value by creating an awareness of the diverse environment in which academics and students operate, thereby enabling students to develop a cultural sensitivity to the international hospitality industry they will be employed in on graduation.

  2. ICT USAGE BY DISTANCE LEARNERS IN INDIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashish Kumar AWADHIYA

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Open Universities across the world are embracing ICT based teaching and learning process to disseminate quality education to their learners spread across the globe. In India availability and access of ICT and learner characteristics are uneven and vary from state to state. Hence it is important to establish the facts about ICT access among learners, their ICT usage patterns and their readiness to use ICT for educational purpose. In view of this, a study was conducted with the objective to find out the access level of ICT among distance learners. The analysis indicates that maximum learners have desktop/laptops and most of them are accessing internet very frequently from their home. The analysis also indicates that maximum respondents are browsing social networking sites followed by educational and e-mail service providing websites. Findings suggest that there is a need to generate ICT based tutorials complemented with social networking tools and mobile applications. Study also shows that learners are equipped with mobile phones and they are browsing internet through it and also availing support services offered by the university. Hence possibility of integrating mobile phone services may be used for providing learner support services and content delivery.

  3. Models and Materials: Bridging Art and Science in the Secondary Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pak, D.; Cavazos, L.

    2006-12-01

    Creating and sustaining student engagement in science is one challenge facing secondary teachers. The visual arts provide an alternative means of communicating scientific concepts to students who may not respond to traditional formats or identify themselves as interested in science. We have initiated a three-year teacher professional development program at U C Santa Barbara focused on bridging art and science in secondary curricula, to engage students underrepresented in science majors, including girls, English language learners and non-traditional learners. The three-year format provides the teams of teachers with the time and resources necessary to create innovative learning experiences for students that will enhance their understanding of both art and science content. Models and Materials brings together ten secondary art and science teachers from six Santa Barbara County schools. Of the five participating science teachers, three teach Earth Science and two teach Life Science. Art and science teachers from each school are teamed and challenged with the task of creating integrated curriculum projects that bring visual art concepts to the science classroom and science concepts to the art classroom. Models and Materials were selected as unifying themes; understanding the concept of models, their development and limitations, is a prominent goal in the California State Science and Art Standards. Similarly, the relationship between composition, structure and properties of materials is important to both art and science learning. The program began with a 2-week institute designed to highlight the natural links between art and science through presentations and activities by both artists and scientists, to inspire teachers to develop new ways to present models in their classrooms, and for the teacher teams to brainstorm ideas for curriculum projects. During the current school year, teachers will begin to integrate science and art and the themes of modeling and materials

  4. A Curriculum For Dispensing Optician A Case Study In Vietnam

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duong Dieu MD

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Until 2011 there had been no full-time training course for dispensing optician diploma in Vietnam. Most of the practicing opticians with no qualification and formal training have learnt their skills through apprentice. In response to the demand of the industry Nguyen Tat Thanh University Vietnam has teamed up with Bradford College United Kingdom to develop a curriculum for a of formal 2-year full-time training for dispensing optician. The curriculum is applied for 4 semesters and graduate gets called Intermediate Professional Diploma level included 4 semesters. In VN after high school students can obtain different many levels of study such as Intermediate Professional Diploma College Bachelor Master and PhD. The 1st semester is basis of Intermediate Professional Diploma level. The 2nd semester is the study of refractive error and primary care each for 4 weeks 100 hours in theory and primary eye care 4 weeks for theory 100 hours. Also in this semester the learners have practiced clinical rotation at the Ophthalmic Hospital Ophthalmic Service in General Hospital for 10 weeks. The 3rd semester is specialized of dispensing Optician included Lenses frame contact lenses and laboratory for optician. In the 4th semester the training concentrates in the management of the eyeglasses shop and practicing in making spectacles for customers are in the 4th semester. The 1st intake of the course was opened started in 2011 and had 30 students graduated in 2013. This paper describes the experience of developing the curriculum in the context of a developing country where the industry is still under regulated and less developed. The first program optician that privileged on primary eye care will be satisfied for community WHO 2020 1 optometrist for 50.000 people and 10 ophthalmologists for 1.000.000 people. Some characteristics of first course students have been noted. The result of this curriculum will be evaluated in the coming time.

  5. Using EarthLabs to Enhance Earth Science Curriculum in Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chegwidden, D. M.; Ellins, K. K.; Haddad, N.; Ledley, T. S.

    2012-12-01

    As an educator in Texas, a state that values and supports an Earth Science curriculum, I find it essential to educate my students who are our future voting citizens and tax payers. It is important to equip them with tools to understand and solve the challenges of solving of climate change. As informed citizens, students can help to educate others in the community with basic knowledge of weather and climate. They can also help to dispose of the many misconceptions that surround the climate change, which is perceived as a controversial topic. As a participant in a NSF-sponsored Texas Earth and Space (TXESS) Revolution teacher professional development program, I was selected to participate in a curriculum development project led by TERC to develop and test education resources for the EarthLabs climate literacy collection. I am involved in the multiple phases of the project, including reviewing labs that comprise the Climate, Weather and Biosphere module during the development phase, pilot teaching the module with my students, participating in research, and delivering professional development to other Texas teachers to expose them to the content found in the module and to encourage them to incorporate it into their teaching. The Climate, Weather and the Biosphere module emphasizes different forms of evidence and requires that learners apply different inquiry-based approaches to build the knowledge they need to develop as climate literate citizens. My involvement with the EarthLabs project has strengthened my overall knowledge and confidence to teach about Earth's climate system and climate change. In addition, the project has produced vigorous classroom discussion among my students as well as encouraged me to collaborate with other educators through our delivery of professional development to other teachers. In my poster, I will share my experiences, describe the impact the curriculum has made on my students, and report on challenges and valuable lessons gained by

  6. Present status of the Nuclear Maintenance Training Center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kotani, Fumio

    1995-01-01

    The education and training to keep and improve the knowledge and skills of the maintenance personnel and to hand down the skills undoubtedly play important roles in safe operation and increased reliability to a nuclear power station. The Nuclear Maintenance Training Center (hereafter called the Center) provides a variety of education and training curriculums based on the levels and abilities of the trainees. The Center aims to enhance the personnel's maintenance technique by offering the curriculums on maintenance basic education for operators and supporting education and training for the personnel of contractors. The Center has two main features: first, it has the actual components or the equipment similar to the actual components which will enable the practical training; second, we regard the past troubles as valuable experiences and, therefore, focuses on the education to prevent recurrence of troubles by teaching the trainees the meaning and necessity of the training they take. For eleven years since the establishment of the Center, it has been utilized by the total number of about 60,000 people. As for the tasks in the future, the Center is expected to vitalize itself to give attractive education and training and become more actively involved in development of the maintenance personnel with the adequate knowledge and skills. (author)

  7. Learners' independent records of vocabulary

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shaw, Philip; Leeke, Philip

    1999-01-01

    Handbooks recommend a variety of quite complicated procedures for learning and remembering vocabulary, but most learners only engage in very simple procedures. The aim of this project was to establish a basis for identifying optimal vocabulary recording procedures by finding out what learners...

  8. Buffalo City learners' knowledge of abortion legislation

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2014-06-19

    Jun 19, 2014 ... Objectives: This research investigated Grade 11 learners' knowledge of the CTOP Act and ... those learners attending schools formerly designated for African learners during Apartheid .... be performed if, in the opinion of a medical practitioner, ..... of pre-termination of pregnancy counselling to the woman.

  9. Dimensionality in Language Learners' Personal Epistemologies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikitina, Larisa; Furuoka, Fumitaka

    2018-01-01

    This study aimed to examine dimensionality in language learners' epistemic beliefs. To achieve this, a survey was conducted using a newly-developed research instrument-"Language Learners' Epistemic Beliefs" (LLEB) questionnaire. Based on a review of literature, it was proposed that language learners' epistemic beliefs would cluster in…

  10. Motivation and competence of participants in a learner-centered student-run clinic: an exploratory pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schutte, Tim; Tichelaar, Jelle; Dekker, Ramon S; Thijs, Abel; de Vries, Theo P G M; Kusurkar, Rashmi A; Richir, Milan C; van Agtmael, Michiel A

    2017-01-25

    The Learner-Centered Student-run Clinic (LC-SRC) was designed to teach and train prescribing skills grounded in a real-life context, to provide students with early clinical experience and responsibility. The current studies' theoretical framework was based on the Self-determination Theory. According to the Self-determination Theory, early involvement in clinical practice combined with a high level of responsibility makes the LC-SRC an environment that can stimulate intrinsic motivation. We investigated the different types of motivation and the proficiency in CanMEDS competencies of the participating students. Type of motivation was measured using the Academic Motivation Scale and Intrinsic Motivation Inventory. CanMEDS competencies were evaluated by faculty using a mini-clinical examination and by the students themselves using a post-participation questionnaire. The 29 participating students were highly intrinsic motivated for this project on all subscales of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory. Motivation for medical school on the Academic Motivation Scale was high before and was not significantly changed after participation. Students considered that their CanMEDS competencies "Collaborator", "Communicator", "Academic", and "Medical expert" had improved. Their actual clinical team competence was judged by faculty to be at a junior doctor level. Students showed a high level of intrinsic motivation to participate in the LC-SRC and perceived an improvement in competence. Furthermore their actual clinical competence was at junior doctor level in all CanMEDS competencies. The stimulating characteristics of the LC-SRC, the high levels of intrinsic motivation and the qualitative comments of the students in this study makes the LC-SRC an attractive place for learning.

  11. Exploring high school learners' perceptions of bullying.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blake, Patricia; Louw, Johann

    2010-12-01

    Learners' perceptions of aspects of school life that are sufficiently serious to interfere with their schoolwork were investigated. Bullying was a form of behaviour that was singled out for inclusion and further exploration in the study. Learners from three coeducational Western Cape Education Department schools were surveyed: 414 Grade 8 and 474 Grade 9 learners completed an anonymous, voluntary self-report questionnaire. Factors identified as most frequently interfering with their schoolwork included classmates not listening in class, feeling overwhelmed by schoolwork, teacher absenteeism, and verbal fighting. When asked specifically about bullying, 40% of learners indicated that they frequently experienced bullying at school-although they ranked it as much lower when compared to other potentially problematic school experiences. Furthermore, although the majority of learners indicated they thought teachers considered bullying a problem, few felt there was anything that school staff could do to counteract bullying effectively. These findings suggest that learners perceive bullying as an unavoidable part of school experience and have normalised this aggressive behaviour.

  12. All in a day’s work ... or, ELF in a day’s work: meeting the changing needs of learners and users of English in Higher Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patricia Pullin

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available English as a lingua franca (ELF has been described as “… the fastest-growing and at the same time the least recognised function of English in the world.” (Mauranen 2009. As a shared language used between speakers who do not have the same lingua cultural backgrounds, English has been the global language of business for some time (Charles 2008 and is increasingly used in academia, not only as the lingua franca of research, but also for teaching and administrative work. As a field of research, ELF focuses on language use in context, notably showing how flexible users of ELF are in negotiating meaning and achieving understanding, despite differences in cultural and linguistic backgrounds (Firth 1996, 2008. Yet, using English as a lingua franca can present challenges, and the research findings have implications not only for users of English in a range of contexts, but also for teachers and learners of English. The focus of this article is on the effect of change with regard to English on curriculum development and syllabus design at the University of Zurich and Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich Language Center. Drawing on Richards (2001, curriculum development refers here to an overall process of educational planning and implementation, comprising needs analysis, situation analysis, setting of aims and learning outcomes, course design, delivery and assessment. These elements are seen as a “network of interacting systems.” (Richards 2001:41. Syllabus design, on the other hand, deals with the specific content covered in a given course.

  13. Independence and Collaboration; Why We Should Decentralize Writing Centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Louise Z.

    1986-01-01

    Notes the inevitable tensions that arise between centripetal writing centers and centrifugal writing across the curriculum programs. Examines the tutoring program at an eastern university as an example of a decentralized writing center that resists pressures to assume a uniform composition pedagogy and coordinates its work with many parts of the…

  14. Curated Collections for Educators: Five Key Papers about Residents as Teachers Curriculum Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krzyzaniak, Sara M; Cherney, Alan; Messman, Anne; Natesan, Sreeja; Overbeck, Michael; Schnapp, Benjamin; Boysen-Osborn, Megan

    2018-02-04

    The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires residency programs to prepare residents to teach and assess medical students and other learners. In order to achieve this, many programs develop formal residents as teachers (RAT) curricula. Medical educators may seek the guidance of previously published literature during the development of RAT programs at their institutions. The authors sought to identify key articles published on the subject of RAT programs over the last 10 years. The authors utilized a formal literature search with the help of a medical librarian and identified additional articles from virtual discussions among the author group and an open call for articles on Twitter using the hashtag #MedEd. Virtual discussions occurred within an online community of practice, the Academic Life in Emergency Medicine (ALiEM) Faculty Incubator. The lead author conducted a four-round modified Delphi process among the author group in order to narrow the broad article list to five key articles on RAT programs. The authors summarize each article and provide considerations for junior faculty as well as faculty developers. Curriculum development and program evaluation should utilize established frameworks and evidence-based approaches. The papers identified by this Delphi process will help faculty use best practices when creating or revising new RAT curriculum. In addition, faculty tasked with guiding junior faculty in this process or creating faculty development programs around curriculum development will find these articles to be a great resource for building content.

  15. Impact of a structured surgical curriculum on ophthalmic resident cataract surgery complication rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogers, Gina M; Oetting, Thomas A; Lee, Andrew G; Grignon, Connie; Greenlee, Emily; Johnson, A Tim; Beaver, Hilary A; Carter, Keith

    2009-11-01

    To determine whether institution of a structured surgical curriculum for ophthalmology residents decreased the rate of sentinel surgical complications. Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Des Moines, Iowa, USA. A retrospective review was performed of third-year ophthalmic resident quality-assurance surgical outcomes data at a single residency-training site from 1998 to 2008. The primary outcome measure was defined as a sentinel event; that is, a posterior capsule tear (with or without vitreous loss) or vitreous loss (from any cause) occurring during a resident-performed case. The study population was divided into 2 groups. Group 1 comprised surgical cases of residents trained before the surgical curriculum change (academic years 1998 to 2003) and Group 2, surgical cases of residents trained with the enhanced curriculum (academic years 2004 to 2008). Data from 1 year (academic year 2003 to 2004) were excluded because the transition to the enhanced curriculum occurred during that period. The data were analyzed and adjusted for surgical experience. In Group 1 (before institution of surgical curriculum), there were 823 cases with 59 sentinel complications. In Group 2 (after institution of surgical curriculum), there were 1009 cases with 38 sentinel complications. There was a statistically significant reduction in the sentinel complication rate, from 7.17% before the curriculum changes to 3.77% with the enhanced curriculum (P = .001, unpaired 2-tailed t test). Implementation of a structured surgical curriculum resulted in a statistically significant reduction in sentinel event complications, even after adjusting for surgical experience.

  16. Envisioning Curriculum as Six Simultaneities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hussain, Hanin; Conner, Lindsey; Mayo, Elaine

    2014-01-01

    This paper uses the discourse of complexity thinking to envision curriculum as six partial and coupled facets that exist simultaneously: curriculum as structure, curriculum as process, curriculum as content, curriculum as teaching, curriculum as learning and curriculum as activity. Such a curriculum is emergent and self-organising. It is emergent…

  17. Systematic Changes in the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum Progam Award and Course and Curriculum Development Program Awards

    Science.gov (United States)

    1996-06-01

    Eight awards in chemistry curriculum development for FY1996 have been announced. One award, to a consortium centered at the University of California-Los Angeles, represents the fifth award in the Systemic Changes in the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum program. Although no proposals will be accepted in this program for either planning or full grants for FY1997, it is anticipated that proposals will be accepted in June of 1997 for projects that would adapt and adopt materials developed by the five funded consortia: Molecular Science centered at the University of California-Los Angeles; ChemLinks centered at Beloit College; MolecularChem Consortium centered at the University of California-Berkeley; Workshop Chemistry centered at CUNY City College; and New Traditions centered at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Seven awards have been made in the Course and Curriculum Development program. This ongoing program continues to accept proposals in chemistry as usual. Systemic Changes in the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum Program Award. Molecular Science. Orville L. Chapman University of California-Los Angeles DUE 9555605 FY96 725,000 FY97 575,000, FY98 575,000 FY99 275,000, FY00 275,000 The UCLA-CSUF-Community College Alliance (24 area community colleges that have worked together for more than 15 years) proposes a sweeping restructuring of the lower division chemistry curriculum and the auxiliary learning and assessment processes. In forming our new curriculum, we reject the positivist approach to science education in favor of a constructivist approach that emphasizes problem solving and exploratory learning. We make this change in order to focus on the developing key skills, traits, and abilities of our students. Our new curriculum, the Molecular Science Curriculum, cuts across departments and disciplines to embrace all activities that involve the study of atoms and molecules. In particular, environmental science, materials science, and molecular life science have

  18. Specific language impairment in a bilingual context : the acquisition of Dutch inflection by Turkish-Dutch learners

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Orgassa, A.

    2009-01-01

    With the aim of specifying the relationship between SLI and L2 acquisition, production data of various groups of L1 and L2 learners with and without SLI were compared. The experiments centered on the application of morphosyntactic rules in Dutch that were considered vulnerable in SLI and L2

  19. Digital Culture and Physical Education: questioning the inclusion of Exergames in the curriculum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    César Augusto Otero Vaghetti

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Games are known to be used in education, as teaching tools, because they can facilitate cognitive learning. Several areas such as Mathematics, Geography, History, Chemistry and Biology use this technology in reason of its illustrative potential on the content to be worked, something that many games make possible. Moreover, one of the most important aspects to be considered is the communication established between educator and learner, in which pleasure and entertainment are inherent features of the game, thus pleasing the student and enabling learning. Currently, a new class of games is taking the attention of children, young people and adults: the Exergames or Exertion Interfaces, which mix game and physical exercise. Not only as new educational tools that become available but also some attention concerning physiological and educational aspects for the human development begin to be demanded from areas like Health Sciences, especially Physical Education. This research aimed at discussing, in a critical way, issues related to the Exergames and the possibility for them to be included in the curriculum of Physical Education, both at school and in the undergraduate and graduate courses. Keywords: Exergame, Physical Education, Curriculum.

  20. Pediatrics Residents' Confidence and Performance Following a Longitudinal Quality Improvement Curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Courtlandt, Cheryl; Noonan, Laura; Koricke, Maureen Walsh; Zeskind, Philip Sanford; Mabus, Sarah; Feld, Leonard

    2016-02-01

    Quality improvement (QI) training is an integral part of residents' education. Understanding the educational value of a QI curriculum facilitates understanding of its impact. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a longitudinal QI curriculum on pediatrics residents' confidence and competence in the acquisition and application of QI knowledge and skills. Three successive cohorts of pediatrics residents (N = 36) participated in a longitudinal curriculum designed to increase resident confidence in QI knowledge and skills. Key components were a succession of progressive experiential projects, QI coaching, and resident team membership culminating in leadership of the project. Residents completed precurricular and postcurricular surveys and demonstrated QI competence by performance on the pediatric QI assessment scenario. Residents participating in the Center for Advancing Pediatric Excellence QI curriculum showed significant increases in pre-post measures of confidence in QI knowledge and skills. Coaching and team leadership were ranked by resident participants as having the most educational value among curriculum components. A pediatric QI assessment scenario, which correlated with resident-perceived confidence in acquisition of QI skills but not QI knowledge, is a tool available to test pediatrics residents' QI knowledge. A 3-year longitudinal, multimodal, experiential QI curriculum increased pediatrics residents' confidence in QI knowledge and skills, was feasible with faculty support, and was well-accepted by residents.

  1. Hyper-curriculum: Transcending Borders of Standardization in the Cosmopolitan Classroom

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher J. Kazanjian

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The world is not just connected; it is hyper-connected. The global flow of ideas, technology, and people are at unmatched levels in history. More classrooms are becoming cosmopolitan centers composed of students with multicultural backgrounds. However, United States public education in this hyper-connected world puts emphasis on standardization and accountability. By doing so, schools driven by federal initiatives fail in helping students to become worldly citizens. Students and teachers are derived of room for creativity or new multicultural possibilities. Hence, this paper intends to develop a theoretical framework for curriculum in the hyper-connected world, aptly named “hyper-curriculum.”

  2. New perspective of learner-centered education in nowadays didactics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mara Elena Lucia

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available An approach to education that is based on the educational context in which the student comes and track progress in achieving the learning objectives. The learner-centred education learning places the responsibility on the shoulders of students, while the teacher takes responsibility for facilitating the education process. The approach tends to be unique, flexible, competency-based methodology and not always varied in time and space constrained. Teaching will have complex changes, so if, traditionally, it is just a business communication / transmission of knowledge, actual perspectives follows specifically aims in organizing and managing learning processes. According to the researchers in the field, developing paradigm / meanings in teaching practice in teaching, learning and assessment, respectively constructivist paradigm and the paradigm of interactive, make an important contribution. A student-centred educational activity is if it satisfies the following requirements: it is based on personal characteristics of the students; it aims at developing skills (main objective and transmission of specific content (secondary; contribute actively student in planning, execution and evaluation of them; it is a positive learning experience; and allows transfer of experience to another educational situation. As a general matter, the way of learning is the way of influence how students learn how to teach; also, the content being taught (notions, concepts, procedures, problem solving, attitudes etc. must determine how to present the information, and the logical sequence and structure, while achieving effective transposition of internal staff. The teacher is no longer just providing information to the student (what to teach but also to help students how to learn.

  3. Development of affective modelling competencies in primary school learners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Piera Biccard

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Learner affect and beliefs about mathematics are complex and multifaceted aspects of mathematical learning. Traditional teaching and learning approaches in mathematics education often result in problematic beliefs about mathematics. Since beliefs influence what learners learn and how they deal with learning mathematics, it is essential that the roles of beliefs and affect in mathematics classrooms are carefully examined. In solving modelling problems, learners and teachers take on new roles in the classroom: learners are placed in an active, self-directing situation in which they solve real-world problems. When learners engage in modelling tasks, they display and integrate cognitive, meta-cognitive and affective competencies. A modelling approach therefore allows one to detect learner beliefs in an authentic learning environment. Will this environment lead to students having more positive and productive dispositions towards mathematics? This article presents partial results of a study documenting the development of modelling competencies in learners working in groups over a period of 12 weeks. Through a design research approach, 12 learners working in groups solved three modelling problems, and transcriptions of learner interactions, questionnaires and informal interviews revealed that learner beliefs improved over this short period when exposed to modelling tasks. The results are encouraging, and may provide mathematics education with an avenue to develop more positive learner beliefs in mathematics.

  4. Crossing the patient-centered divide: transforming health care quality through enhanced faculty development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frankel, Richard M; Eddins-Folensbee, Florence; Inui, Thomas S

    2011-04-01

    In the report "Crossing the Quality Chasm," the Institute of Medicine asserted that patient-centered care is one of the six domains of quality. In this article, the authors consider how the patient- and relationship-centered components of quality can be achieved in all aspects of medical care. They suggest that faculty development in three key areas-mindful practice, formation, and training in communication skills-is necessary to achieve patient- and relationship-centeredness.The authors first review the philosophical and scientific foundations of patient-centered and relationship-centered care. They next describe and provide concrete examples to illustrate the underlying theory and practices associated with each of the three faculty development areas. They then propose five key areas for faculty development in patient- and relationship-centered care: (1) making it a central competency in all health care interactions, (2) developing a national curriculum framework, (3) requiring performance metrics for professional development, (4) partnering with national health care organizations to disseminate the curriculum framework, and (5) preserving face-to-face educational methods for delivering key elements of the curriculum. Finally, the authors consider the issues faced in faculty development today in light of the medical education issues Abraham Flexner identified more than a century ago. © by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

  5. Autonomous Learner Model Resource Book

    Science.gov (United States)

    Betts, George T.; Carey, Robin J.; Kapushion, Blanche M.

    2016-01-01

    "Autonomous Learner Model Resource Book" includes activities and strategies to support the development of autonomous learners. More than 40 activities are included, all geared to the emotional, social, cognitive, and physical development of students. Teachers may use these activities and strategies with the entire class, small groups, or…

  6. High school learners' mental construction during solving ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Structured activity sheets with three tasks were given to learners; these tasks were done in groups, and the group leaders were interviewed. It was found that learners tended to do well with routine-type questions, implying that they were functioning at an action level. From the interviews it appeared that learners might have ...

  7. An Analysis of Lexical Errors of Korean Language Learners: Some American College Learners' Case

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Manjin

    2014-01-01

    There has been a huge amount of research on errors of language learners. However, most of them have focused on syntactic errors and those about lexical errors are not found easily despite the importance of lexical learning for the language learners. The case is even rarer for Korean language. In line with this background, this study was designed…

  8. Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs, Attitudes, Knowledge Base, and Practices in Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gann, Linda

    2013-01-01

    The research centered on secondary mathematics teachers' beliefs, attitudes, knowledge base, and practices in meeting the academic and language needs of English language learners. Using socio-cultural theory and social practice theory to frame the study, the research design employed a mixed methods approach incorporating self-reported surveys,…

  9. Language Learner Strategies for Building EFL Learners’ Autonomy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hooshang Khoshsima

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The critical discussions and matters in enhancing students’ learning performance, knowledge, and language proficiency have received a remarkable degree of attention in educational contexts. This study was undertaken to encourage learners to build the required competence in the foreign language by utilizing learning strategies so that they could become autonomous learners. Language learners' learning difficulties while learning a foreign language were identified in this study. With regard to problems which language learners faced in learning a foreign language, the teachers are able to recognize and to utilize appropriate language learning strategies in order to develop autonomy in learners who conceptualize and use those strategies in the foreign language. The research design adopted for the present study was survey method. The data for the study were collected with the use of a questionnaire. This questionnaire was administered to a total of 60 EFL learners who were selected from a university in Iran. It was used to assess learners’ awareness and perceived use of strategies and to provide data on their best utilized strategies. Results have been driven through statistical analysis. The analyzed data reveal the students’ styles and assist teachers to take part in shifting the strategies and heighten language learners' autonomy. The findings support the claim that knowing and making language learners aware of the most appropriate strategy would assist learners to improve their autonomy and to enhance their learning.

  10. Artificial learners adopting normative conventions from human teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cederborg Thomas

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available This survey provides an overview of implemented systems, theoretical work, as well as studies of biological systems relevant to the design of artificial learners trying to figure out what a human teacher would like them to do. Implementations of artificial learners are covered, with a focus on experiments trying to find better interpretations of human behavior, as well as algorithms that autonomously improve a model of the teacher. A distinction is made between learners trying to interpret teacher behavior in order to learn what the teacher would like the learner to do on the one hand, and learners whose explicit or implicit goal is to get something from the teacher on the other hand (for example rewards, or knowledge about how the world works. The survey covers the former type of systems. Human teachers are covered, focusing on studies that say something concrete about how one should interpret the behavior of a human teacher that is interacting with an artificial learner. Certain types of biological learners are interesting as inspiration for the types of artificial systems we are concerned with. The survey focus on studies of biological learners adopting normative conventions, as well as joint intentionality team efforts.

  11. Improving Family Meetings in Intensive Care Units: A Quality Improvement Curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gruenewald, David A; Gabriel, Michelle; Rizzo, Dorothy; Luhrs, Carol A

    2017-07-01

    Family meetings in the intensive care unit are associated with beneficial outcomes for patients, their families, and health care systems, yet these meetings often do not occur in a timely, effective, reliable way. The Department of Veterans Affairs Comprehensive End-of-Life Care Implementation Center sponsored a national initiative to improve family meetings in Veterans Affairs intensive care units across the United States. Process measures of success for the initiative were identified, including development of a curriculum to support facility-based quality improvement projects to implement high-quality family meetings. Identified curriculum requirements included suitability for distance learning and applicability to many clinical intensive care units. Curriculum modules were cross-mapped to the "Plan-Do-Study-Act" model to aid in planning quality improvement projects. A questionnaire was e-mailed to users to evaluate the curriculum's effectiveness. Users rated the curriculum's effectiveness in supporting and achieving aims of the initiative as 3.6 on a scale of 0 (not effective) to 4 (very effective). Users adapted the curriculum to meet local needs. The number of users increased from 6 to 17 quality improvement teams in 2 years. All but 3 teams progressed to implementation of an action plan. Users were satisfied with the effectiveness and adaptability of a family-meeting quality improvement curriculum to support implementation of a quality improvement project in Veterans Affairs intensive care units. This tool may be useful in facilitating projects to improve the quality of family meetings in other intensive care units. ©2017 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

  12. Learner Motivation and Interest

    OpenAIRE

    Daskalovska, Nina; Gudeva, Liljana Koleva; Ivanovska, Biljana

    2012-01-01

    There are a lot of factors which influence success in learning. However, one of the most important factors is the learner’s motivation to reach the desired goals. Research and experience show that learners with strong motivation can achieve a lot regardless of circumstances. Studies of motivation in second language learning have led to several distinctions, one of which is the distinction between integrative and instrumental motivation. According to this distinction, some learners are motivat...

  13. An Approach for Calculating Student-Centered Value in Education - A Link between Quality, Efficiency, and the Learning Experience in the Health Professions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicklen, Peter; Rivers, George; Ooi, Caryn; Ilic, Dragan; Reeves, Scott; Walsh, Kieran; Maloney, Stephen

    2016-01-01

    Health professional education is experiencing a cultural shift towards student-centered education. Although we are now challenging our traditional training methods, our methods for evaluating the impact of the training on the learner remains largely unchanged. What is not typically measured is student-centered value; whether it was 'worth' what the learner paid. The primary aim of this study was to apply a method of calculating student-centered value, applied to the context of a change in teaching methods within a health professional program. This study took place over the first semester of the third year of the Bachelor of Physiotherapy at Monash University, Victoria, Australia, in 2014. The entire third year cohort (n = 78) was invited to participate. Survey based design was used to collect the appropriate data. A blended learning model was implemented; subsequently students were only required to attend campus three days per week, with the remaining two days comprising online learning. This was compared to the previous year's format, a campus-based face-to-face approach where students attended campus five days per week, with the primary outcome-Value to student. Value to student incorporates, user costs associated with transportation and equipment, the amount of time saved, the price paid and perceived gross benefit. Of the 78 students invited to participate, 76 completed the post-unit survey (non-participation rate 2.6%). Based on Value to student the blended learning approach provided a $1,314.93 net benefit to students. Another significant finding was that the perceived gross benefit for the blended learning approach was $4014.84 compared to the campus-based face-to-face approach of $3651.72, indicating that students would pay more for the blended learning approach. This paper successfully applied a novel method of calculating student-centered value. This is the first step in validating the value to student outcome. Measuring economic value to the student may

  14. An Approach for Calculating Student-Centered Value in Education - A Link between Quality, Efficiency, and the Learning Experience in the Health Professions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Nicklen

    Full Text Available Health professional education is experiencing a cultural shift towards student-centered education. Although we are now challenging our traditional training methods, our methods for evaluating the impact of the training on the learner remains largely unchanged. What is not typically measured is student-centered value; whether it was 'worth' what the learner paid. The primary aim of this study was to apply a method of calculating student-centered value, applied to the context of a change in teaching methods within a health professional program. This study took place over the first semester of the third year of the Bachelor of Physiotherapy at Monash University, Victoria, Australia, in 2014. The entire third year cohort (n = 78 was invited to participate. Survey based design was used to collect the appropriate data. A blended learning model was implemented; subsequently students were only required to attend campus three days per week, with the remaining two days comprising online learning. This was compared to the previous year's format, a campus-based face-to-face approach where students attended campus five days per week, with the primary outcome-Value to student. Value to student incorporates, user costs associated with transportation and equipment, the amount of time saved, the price paid and perceived gross benefit. Of the 78 students invited to participate, 76 completed the post-unit survey (non-participation rate 2.6%. Based on Value to student the blended learning approach provided a $1,314.93 net benefit to students. Another significant finding was that the perceived gross benefit for the blended learning approach was $4014.84 compared to the campus-based face-to-face approach of $3651.72, indicating that students would pay more for the blended learning approach. This paper successfully applied a novel method of calculating student-centered value. This is the first step in validating the value to student outcome. Measuring economic value

  15. Tweetalige aanleerderswoordeboek . bilingual learner's dictionary ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Correct pronunciation is not guaranteed, because only syllabification and the main stress are indicated in words. Grammatical guidance is also not given to such an extent that learners will be able to generate correct sentences on their own. The role that contrastive analysis and error analysis can play to anticipate learners' ...

  16. Learner Beliefs about Sociolinguistic Competence: A Qualitative Case Study of Four University Second Language Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jinsuk; Rehner, Katherine

    2015-01-01

    This article explores the beliefs about second language (L2) sociolinguistic competence of four university-level advanced L2 learners. It places particular emphasis on 1) how these university learners conceptualized L2 sociolinguistic competence; 2) how they thought about two different language learning contexts (viz., the L2 classroom versus…

  17. Identity-Centered Conflicts, Authority, and Dogmatism: Challenges for the Design of Social Studies Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brandhorst, Allan R.

    2004-01-01

    One of the greatest challenges to a peace education curriculum is preparing young people to deal with conflicts over issues central to identity. These kinds of conflict can threaten beliefs derived from authority and, accordingly, may be characterized by cognitive rigidity. Various factors central to constructive conflict resolution are…

  18. Learner-Centred Teaching Contributes in Promising Results in Improving Learner Understanding and Motivation: A Case Study at Malaysia Tertiary Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yap, Wei-Li; Neo, Mai; Neo, Tse-Kian

    2016-01-01

    In Malaysia, traditional teaching is still a common approach among many lecturers. There have been many studies that have reported its limitations and many lecturers have started to adopt a more learner-centred teaching approach to promote better learner understanding and learner motivation. Throughout this effort, it is noticed there are…

  19. WORK AND LEARNER IDENTITY

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kondrup, Sissel

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this article is to suggest a theoretical framework than can assess to how people’s engagement in specific historical and social work practices are significant to their development, maintenance or transformation of a learner identity. Such a framework is crucial in order to grasp how...... different groups have distinctive conditions for meeting the obligation of forming a proactive learner identity and engage in lifelong learning prevalent in both national and transnational policies on lifelong learning....

  20. Automotive Mechanics Curriculum Outline for Secondary Schools. Vocational Education Curriculum Guide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Louisiana State Dept. of Education, Baton Rouge. Div. of Vocational Education.

    This curriculum outline for secondary automotive mechanics is structured around Louisiana's Vocational-Technical Automotive Mechanics Curriculum. The curriculum is composed of 16 units of instruction, covering the following topics: benchwork, fundamentals of automotive engines, preventive maintenance, automotive brakes, steering and front…

  1. Learner Agency within the Design of an EAP Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seppälä, Riina

    2015-01-01

    To meet the demands of today's society and working life, higher education should support the development of learner agency. How the agency of individual learners emerges in university courses and what kind of agency empowers the learners to face new challenges should be considered. In this article, the focus is on learner agency enabled and…

  2. Experiences of learners from informal settlements

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erna Kinsey

    problem is further compounded if educators are not trained to work with learners from ... to locate problems that emerge with the learners themselves rather than within the system ..... "Black students' school success: coping with the burden of ...

  3. Profiling Mobile English Language Learners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byrne, Jason; Diem, Robert

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to use an app-embedded survey to profile language learner demographics. A total of 3,759 EFL language learners from primarily eight L1 backgrounds (French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Thai) responded to the survey embedded within a popular English grammar app. This app has over 500,000…

  4. Research-Based Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Assessment in a Deaf Bilingual Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, Laura

    2012-01-01

    The California School for the Deaf (CSD), Fremont, is a deaf-centered bilingual program. CSD's approach to curriculum development, instructional pedagogy, and assessment integrates best practices in deaf education, bilingual education, and general education. The goals of the program are outlined in the Expected School-wide Learning Results which…

  5. Designing a Supply Chain Management Academic Curriculum Using QFD and Benchmarking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez, Marvin E.; Quesada, Gioconda; Gourdin, Kent; Hartley, Mark

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to utilize quality function deployment (QFD), Benchmarking analyses and other innovative quality tools to develop a new customer-centered undergraduate curriculum in supply chain management (SCM). Design/methodology/approach: The researchers used potential employers as the source for data collection. Then,…

  6. Language games: Christian fundamentalism and the science curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freund, Cheryl J.

    Eighty years after the Scope's Trial, the debate over evolution in the public school curriculum is alive and well. Historically, Christian fundamentalists, the chief opponents of evolution in the public schools, have used the court system to force policymakers, to adopt their ideology regarding evolution in the science curriculum. However, in recent decades their strategy has shifted from the courts to the local level, where they pressure teachers and school boards to include "alternate theories" and the alleged "flaws" and "inconsistencies" of evolution in the science curriculum. The purpose of this content analysis study was to answer the question: How do Christian fundamentalists employ rhetorical strategies to influence the science curriculum? The rhetorical content of several public legal and media documents resulting from a lawsuit filed against the Athens Public Schools by the American Center of Law and Justice were analyzed for the types of rhetorical strategies employed by the participants engaged in the scientific, legal, and public discourse communities. The study employed an analytical schema based on Ludwig Wittgenstein's theory of language games, Lawrence Prelli's theory of discourse communities, and Michael Apple's notion of constitutive and preference rules. Ultimately, this study revealed that adroit use of the constitutive and preference rules of the legal and public discourse communities allowed the school district to reframe the creation-evolution debate, thereby avoiding a public spectacle and ameliorating the power of creationist language to affect change in the science curriculum. In addition, the study reinforced the assertion that speakers enjoy the most persuasive power when they attend to the preference rules of the public discourse community.

  7. Turning university professors into competent learners

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stefanova, Eliza; Ilieva, Miroslava; Nikolova, Nikolina; Stefanov, Krassen

    2008-01-01

    Stefanova, E., Ilieva, M., Nikolova, N, & Stefanov, K. (2008). Turning university professors into competent learners. In H. W. Sligte & R. Koper (Eds.), Proceedings of the 4th TENCompetence Open Workshop. Empowering Learners for Lifelong Competence Development: pedagogical, organisational and

  8. Developing A Food Allergy Curriculum for Parents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vargas, Perla A.; Sicherer, Scott H.; Christie, Lynn; Keaveny, Maureen; Noone, Sally; Watkins, Debra; Carlisle, Suzanna K; Jones, Stacie M

    2014-01-01

    Food allergy (FA) is potentially severe and requires intensive education to master allergen avoidance and emergency care. There is evidence suggesting the need for a comprehensive curriculum for food allergic families. This paper describes the results of focus groups conducted to guide the development of a curriculum for parents of food allergic children. The focus groups were conducted using standard methodology with experienced parents of food allergic children. Participants were parents (n=36) with experience managing FA recruited from allergy clinics at two academic centers. Topics identified by parents as key for successful management included as expected: 1) early signs/symptoms, 2) “cross-contamination”, 3) label-reading, 4) self-injectable epinephrine; and 5) becoming a teacher and advocate. Participants also recommended developing a “one pageroad map” to the information, and to provide the information early and be timed according to developmental stages/needs. Suggested first points for curriculum dissemination were emergency rooms, obstetrician and pediatrician offices. Participants also recommended targeting pediatricians, emergency physicians, school personnel, and the community-at-large in educational efforts. Parents often sought FA information from non-medical sources such as the Internet and support groups. These resources were also accessed to find ways to cope with stress. Paradoxically, difficulties gaining access to resources and uncertainty regarding reliability of the information added to the stress experience. Based on reports from experienced parents of food allergic children, newly diagnosed parents could benefit from a comprehensive FA management curriculum. Improving access to clear and concise educational materials would likely reduce stress/anxiety and improve quality of life. PMID:21332804

  9. Doctoral Students Becoming Researchers: An Innovative Curriculum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deborah S. Garson

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Creating a quality literature review is fundamental to doctoral student professionalization, yet research into how the literature review is taught, learned, or experienced is limited.  Responding to this under-addressed but critical key to doctoral education, the focus of this mixed methods study is on students’ perceptions of a year-long course, co-taught by a faculty member and embedded librarian, devoted specifically to addressing the literature review.  Analysis of students’ course evaluations and written reflections/feedback over an eight year period revealed four primary themes: 1 Entering students’ technological know-how does not guarantee effective information literacy skill and without the requisite skills one-shot library workshops are insufficient for making learning whole;  2 Rather than conceiving of the literature review as a product, constructing a literature review represents a pivotal process in doctoral students’ research and literacy skill development; 3 Creating a literature review, and the process it entails, signals in students the development of their professional researcher identity, involving movement beyond “how to” to address questions of “why” and “for whom”; 4 The literature review course was experienced as a substantively different course than is typical in the doctoral experience, mirroring the course’s  foundational assumption that librarians, instructors, and learners share agency in creating the literature review process. The course curriculum is framed by two simultaneous learning streams: information literacy competencies and student research agenda. The course curriculum aligns information literacy competencies and research methodology with the goal of exploring and purposefully integrating creativity and curiosity in the search and research construction process.

  10. Teachers' professional development needs and current practices at the Alexander Science Center School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gargus, Gerald Vincent

    This investigation represents an in-depth understanding of teacher professional development at the Alexander Science Center School, a dependent charter museum school established through a partnership between the California Science Center and Los Angeles Unified School District. Three methods of data collection were used. A survey was distributed and collected from the school's teachers, resulting in a prioritized list of teacher professional development needs, as well as a summary of teachers' opinions about the school's existing professional development program. In addition, six key stakeholders in the school's professional development program were interviewed for the study. Finally, documents related to the school's professional development program were analyzed. Data collected from the interviews and documents were used to develop an understand various components of the Alexander Science Center School's professional development program. Teachers identified seven areas that had a high-priority for future professional development including developing skills far working with below-grade-level students, improving the analytical skills of student in mathematics, working with English Language Learners, improving students' overall reading ability levels, developing teachers' content-area knowledge for science, integrating science across the curriculum, and incorporating hands-on activity-based learning strategies to teach science. Professional development needs identified by Alexander Science Center School teachers were categorized based on their focus on content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, or curricular knowledge. Analysis of data collected through interviews and documents revealed that the Alexander Science Center School's professional development program consisted of six venues for providing professional development for teachers including weekly "banked time" sessions taking place within the standard school day, grade-level meetings, teacher support

  11. [Chicano Counselor Training: Curriculum and Beyond Curriculum].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aleman, Ramon

    The particulars of the evolved curriculum and how the training has evolved around the change-agent concept are stressed in this presentation. The measure of success achieved in attempting to influence the staff and course of studies of the regular guidance department is also emphasized. The curriculum of this counselor training institute has, from…

  12. An Ecological System Curriculum: An Integrated MST Approach to Environmental Science Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leonhardt, Nina A.

    This paper describes an inquiry-based, student-centered mathematics, science, and technology curriculum guide. It features activities addressing such environmental science topics as groundwater modeling, water filtration, soil permeability and porosity, water temperature and salinity, and quadrant studies. Activities are organized so that the…

  13. Empowerment evaluation: a collaborative approach to evaluating and transforming a medical school curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fetterman, David M; Deitz, Jennifer; Gesundheit, Neil

    2010-05-01

    Medical schools continually evolve their curricula to keep students abreast of advances in basic, translational, and clinical sciences. To provide feedback to educators, critical evaluation of the effectiveness of these curricular changes is necessary. This article describes a method of curriculum evaluation, called "empowerment evaluation," that is new to medical education. It mirrors the increasingly collaborative culture of medical education and offers tools to enhance the faculty's teaching experience and students' learning environments. Empowerment evaluation provides a method for gathering, analyzing, and sharing data about a program and its outcomes and encourages faculty, students, and support personnel to actively participate in system changes. It assumes that the more closely stakeholders are involved in reflecting on evaluation findings, the more likely they are to take ownership of the results and to guide curricular decision making and reform. The steps of empowerment evaluation include collecting evaluation data, designating a "critical friend" to communicate areas of potential improvement, establishing a culture of evidence, encouraging a cycle of reflection and action, cultivating a community of learners, and developing reflective educational practitioners. This article illustrates how stakeholders used the principles of empowerment evaluation to facilitate yearly cycles of improvement at the Stanford University School of Medicine, which implemented a major curriculum reform in 2003-2004. The use of empowerment evaluation concepts and tools fostered greater institutional self-reflection, led to an evidence-based model of decision making, and expanded opportunities for students, faculty, and support staff to work collaboratively to improve and refine the medical school's curriculum.

  14. Whose voice matters? LEARNERS | Bansilal | South African Journal ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    International and national mathematics studies have revealed the poor mathematics skills of South African learners. An essential tool that can be used to improve learners' mathematical skills is for educators to use effective feedback. Our purpose in this study was to elicit learners' understanding and expectations of teacher ...

  15. Learners' experiences of learning support in selected Western Cape schools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olaniyi Bojuwoye

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The study explored Western Cape primary and secondary school learners' experiences regarding the provision and utilization of support services for improving learning. A qualitative interpretive approach was adopted and data gathered through focus group interviews involving 90 learners. Results revealed that learners received and utilized various forms of learning support from their schools, teachers, and peers. The learning support assisted in meeting learners' academic, social and emotional needs by addressing barriers to learning, creating conducive learning environments, enhancing learners' self-esteem and improving learners' academic performance.

  16. Curriculum Differential Enactment: The Interplay of Teacher, Class, and Curriculum Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eisenmann, Tammy

    2011-01-01

    Curriculum materials' developers typically assume the existence of certain general social-educational classroom practices and norms. Conversely, the current study addresses the effects of context on curriculum enactment, focusing on the interrelations between teacher, class and curriculum materials. Each of the two case studies presented herein…

  17. "Paideia Kyriou": Biblical and Patristic Models for an Integrated Christian Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turley, Stephen Richard

    2009-01-01

    In recent years, a number of studies corroborate the importance of an integrated or interdisciplinary curriculum for an effective education. However, contemporary proposals for the function of theology as the integrative center have been limited mainly to sectarian communities and remain a work in progress. Noting the fruitfulness of historical…

  18. Fostering Creativity in the Classroom through Animated Storytelling - Challenges and Potentials for Arts-integration in 21st. Century Learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gjedde, Lisa

    2016-01-01

    educators aware of the importance of integrating digital creativity in the teaching of the curriculum. However, in order to facilitate the integration of arts-based learning into the curriculum - not only as a subject but as a pathway to learning - new tools, competencies and mindsets are needed. This paper...... as a creative pathway to learning in primary education.......Creativity has been termed one of the most important skills of the 21st. Century classroom. While a traditional approach to education has not had a big emphasis on creativity in most subjects, the emerging learner-centered paradigm, as well as learners’ everday use of media, is making many...

  19. Advancing Learner Autonomy in TEFL via Collaborative Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobs, George M.; Shan, Tan Hui

    2015-01-01

    The present paper begins by situating learner autonomy and collaborative learning as part of a larger paradigm shift towards student-centred learning. Next are brief discussions of learner autonomy and how learner autonomy links with collaborative learning. In the main part of the paper, four central principles of collaborative learning are…

  20. Engendering Curriculum History. Studies in Curriculum Theory Series

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hendry, Petra

    2011-01-01

    How can curriculum history be re-envisioned from a feminist, poststructuralist perspective? "Engendering Curriculum History" disrupts dominant notions of history as linear, as inevitable progress, and as embedded in the individual. This conversation requires a history that seeks "rememberance" not representation, "reflexivity" not linearity, and…

  1. The Effect of Flipped Model of Instruction on EFL Learners' Reading Comprehension: Learners' Attitudes in Focus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karimi, Mehrnoosh; Hamzavi, Raouf

    2017-01-01

    The present study aimed at investigating the effect of flipped model of instruction on EFL learners' reading comprehension ability. Moreover, this study aimed at identifying EFL students' attitudes toward flipped model of instruction. To this end, 60 EFL learners studying at an accredited private language institute in Isfahan were first…

  2. South African law and policy regulating learner absenteeism

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Packard Bell

    Learner absenteeism often occurs involuntarily due to learners' social and economic circumstances. ..... still a child; e.g. under 18 years of age, and ... schools to take the age and maturity of the ... 5). The Policy on Learner Attendance (DBE, RSA,. 2010, para. 13(i)) allows the ..... Emotional literacy and the ecology of.

  3. Online Games for Young Learners' Foreign Language Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butler, Yuko Goto; Someya, Yuumi; Fukuhara, Eiji

    2014-01-01

    Young learners' use of instructional games in foreign language learning is not yet well understood. Using games that were part of the learning tools for an online assessment, Jido-Eiken, a standardized English proficiency test for young learners in Japan, we examined young learners' game-playing behaviours and the relationship of these behaviours…

  4. Implementing Multimedia in the Middle School Curriculum: Pros, Cons and Lessons Learned.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, Norman K.; Orde, Barbara J.

    1995-01-01

    The University of Wyoming conducted a study at its lab school on the use of multimedia in education. Discussion includes the center and the curriculum; the type of data collected; results in terms of behavior, instructional materials, and management; as well as observations and recommendations. (AEF)

  5. Mastery-Based Virtual Reality Robotic Simulation Curriculum: The First Step Toward Operative Robotic Proficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hogg, Melissa E; Tam, Vernissia; Zenati, Mazen; Novak, Stephanie; Miller, Jennifer; Zureikat, Amer H; Zeh, Herbert J

    Hepatobiliary surgery is a highly complex, low-volume specialty with long learning curves necessary to achieve optimal outcomes. This creates significant challenges in both training and measuring surgical proficiency. We hypothesize that a virtual reality curriculum with mastery-based simulation is a valid tool to train fellows toward operative proficiency. This study evaluates the content and predictive validity of robotic simulation curriculum as a first step toward developing a comprehensive, proficiency-based pathway. A mastery-based simulation curriculum was performed in a virtual reality environment. A pretest/posttest experimental design used both virtual reality and inanimate environments to evaluate improvement. Participants self-reported previous robotic experience and assessed the curriculum by rating modules based on difficulty and utility. This study was conducted at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (Pittsburgh, PA), a tertiary care academic teaching hospital. A total of 17 surgical oncology fellows enrolled in the curriculum, 16 (94%) completed. Of 16 fellows who completed the curriculum, 4 fellows (25%) achieved mastery on all 24 modules; on average, fellows mastered 86% of the modules. Following curriculum completion, individual test scores improved (p < 0.0001). An average of 2.4 attempts was necessary to master each module (range: 1-17). Median time spent completing the curriculum was 4.2 hours (range: 1.1-6.6). Total 8 (50%) fellows continued practicing modules beyond mastery. Survey results show that "needle driving" and "endowrist 2" modules were perceived as most difficult although "needle driving" modules were most useful. Overall, 15 (94%) fellows perceived improvement in robotic skills after completing the curriculum. In a cohort of board-certified general surgeons who are novices in robotic surgery, a mastery-based simulation curriculum demonstrated internal validity with overall score improvement. Time to complete the

  6. Radiation Oncology Medical Student Clerkship: Implementation and Evaluation of a Bi-institutional Pilot Curriculum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Golden, Daniel W.; Spektor, Alexander; Rudra, Sonali; Ranck, Mark C.; Krishnan, Monica S.; Jimenez, Rachel B.; Viswanathan, Akila N.; Koshy, Matthew; Howard, Andrew R.; Chmura, Steven J.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: To develop and evaluate a structured didactic curriculum to complement clinical experiences during radiation oncology clerkships at 2 academic medical centers. Methods and Materials: A structured didactic curriculum was developed to teach fundamentals of radiation oncology and improve confidence in clinical competence. Curriculum lectures included: (1) an overview of radiation oncology (history, types of treatments, and basic clinic flow); (2) fundamentals of radiation biology and physics; and (3) practical aspects of radiation treatment simulation and planning. In addition, a hands-on dosimetry session taught students fundamentals of treatment planning. The curriculum was implemented at 2 academic departments in 2012. Students completed anonymous evaluations using a Likert scale to rate the usefulness of curriculum components (1 = not at all, 5 = extremely). Likert scores are reported as (median [interquartile range]). Results: Eighteen students completed the curriculum during their 4-week rotation (University of Chicago n=13, Harvard Longwood Campus n=5). All curriculum components were rated as extremely useful: introduction to radiation oncology (5 [4-5]); radiation biology and physics (5 [5-5]); practical aspects of radiation oncology (5 [4-5]); and the treatment planning session (5 [5-5]). Students rated the curriculum as “quite useful” to “extremely useful” (1) to help students understand radiation oncology as a specialty; (2) to increase student comfort with their specialty decision; and (3) to help students with their future transition to a radiation oncology residency. Conclusions: A standardized curriculum for medical students completing a 4-week radiation oncology clerkship was successfully implemented at 2 institutions. The curriculum was favorably reviewed. As a result of completing the curriculum, medical students felt more comfortable with their specialty decision and better prepared to begin radiation oncology residency

  7. Radiation Oncology Medical Student Clerkship: Implementation and Evaluation of a Bi-institutional Pilot Curriculum

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Golden, Daniel W., E-mail: dgolden@radonc.uchicago.edu [Department of Radiation and Cellular Oncology, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois (United States); Spektor, Alexander [Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women' s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (United States); Rudra, Sonali; Ranck, Mark C. [Department of Radiation and Cellular Oncology, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois (United States); Krishnan, Monica S.; Jimenez, Rachel B.; Viswanathan, Akila N. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women' s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (United States); Koshy, Matthew; Howard, Andrew R.; Chmura, Steven J. [Department of Radiation and Cellular Oncology, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: To develop and evaluate a structured didactic curriculum to complement clinical experiences during radiation oncology clerkships at 2 academic medical centers. Methods and Materials: A structured didactic curriculum was developed to teach fundamentals of radiation oncology and improve confidence in clinical competence. Curriculum lectures included: (1) an overview of radiation oncology (history, types of treatments, and basic clinic flow); (2) fundamentals of radiation biology and physics; and (3) practical aspects of radiation treatment simulation and planning. In addition, a hands-on dosimetry session taught students fundamentals of treatment planning. The curriculum was implemented at 2 academic departments in 2012. Students completed anonymous evaluations using a Likert scale to rate the usefulness of curriculum components (1 = not at all, 5 = extremely). Likert scores are reported as (median [interquartile range]). Results: Eighteen students completed the curriculum during their 4-week rotation (University of Chicago n=13, Harvard Longwood Campus n=5). All curriculum components were rated as extremely useful: introduction to radiation oncology (5 [4-5]); radiation biology and physics (5 [5-5]); practical aspects of radiation oncology (5 [4-5]); and the treatment planning session (5 [5-5]). Students rated the curriculum as “quite useful” to “extremely useful” (1) to help students understand radiation oncology as a specialty; (2) to increase student comfort with their specialty decision; and (3) to help students with their future transition to a radiation oncology residency. Conclusions: A standardized curriculum for medical students completing a 4-week radiation oncology clerkship was successfully implemented at 2 institutions. The curriculum was favorably reviewed. As a result of completing the curriculum, medical students felt more comfortable with their specialty decision and better prepared to begin radiation oncology residency.

  8. Identifying Successful Learners from Interaction Behaviour

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCuaig, Judi; Baldwin, Julia

    2012-01-01

    The interaction behaviours of successful, high-achieving learners when using a Learning Management System (LMS) are different than the behaviours of learners who are having more difficulty mastering the course material. This paper explores the idea that conventional Learning Management Systems can exploit data mining techniques to predict the…

  9. Curriculum as a Discourse: Using Critical Discourse Analysis to Revive Curriculum Reconceptualists' Thought

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harb, Majed

    2017-01-01

    Curriculum reconceptualists seek to reshape the field of curriculum studies. Unlike traditional curricularists, they reprobate the technical approach of curriculum development because of its pure functional and managerial tendency. Reconceptualists look at curriculum from various philosophy-saturated perspectives. One of their claims is…

  10. Sustainability Infused Curriculum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ibarra, D. L.

    2015-12-01

    The Independent Schools Foundation Academy (ISF) in Hong Kong established a sustainability policy in 2015, which explicitly states, "an experimentally integrated, environmentally and ethically sustainable system of science education and conservation practices based on the 2012 Jeju Declaration of the World Conservation Congress will be implemented through the school". ISF Academy is a private Chinese bilingual school in Hong Kong serving over 1500 students K-12, following the framework and curriculum of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). The strategy behind the implementation of this policy includes: development of a scientific sustainable curriculum that is age appropriate; establish a culture of sustainability within the ISF community and beyond to the wider HK community; install sustainable infrastructure that allows students to learn; and learn first hand sustainable living practices. It is well understood that solutions to the environmental challenges facing Hong Kong and our planet will require multiple disciplines. The current sustainability programs at ISF include: a) a whole school aerobic food waste composting system and organic farming, b) energy consumption monitoring of existing buildings, c) upcoming installation of an air pollution monitoring equipment that will correlate with the AQHI data collected by the Hong Kong government, d) a Renewable Energy Education Center (REEC) that will teach students about RE and also produce solar energy for classroom consumption, and e) student lead environmental group that manages the paper and used cooking oil recycling on campus. The Shuyuan Science and Sustainability faculty work closely with classroom teachers to ensure that the above mentioned projects are incorporated into the curriculum throughout the school. Interdisciplinary units (IDU) of study are being developed that encourage faculty and students to work across subject areas. Projects include Personal Projects, Extended Essays

  11. Learners' experiences of learning support in selected Western Cape ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The learning support assisted in meeting learners' academic, social and emotional needs by addressing barriers to learning, creating conducive learning environments, enhancing learners' self-esteem and improving learners' academic performance. Keywords: academic needs; academic performance; barriers to learning; ...

  12. Curriculum Online Review System: Proposing Curriculum with Collaboration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rhinehart, Marilyn; Barlow, Rhonda; Shafer, Stu; Hassur, Debby

    2009-01-01

    The Curriculum Online Review System (CORS) at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) uses SharePoint as a Web platform for the JCCC Curriculum Proposals Process. The CORS application manages proposals throughout the approval process using collaboration tools and workflows to notify all stakeholders. This innovative new program has changed the way…

  13. 网络环境下成人英语自主学习模式探析%On the Analysis of English Self-learning mode of Adult learners

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    杨涵

    2012-01-01

    With the development of multimedia network technology and application, teacher-centered classroom teaching traditional pattern transfers completely to the new autonomous learning mode of learners as center. Teachers should improve English learning environment of learners, improve English autonomous learning awareness and motivation of adult learners, and strengthen the training of English learning. Teachers should guide adult learners to study English independently by making full use of multimedia cyber source.%随着多媒体网络技术的飞速发展和应用,以教师为中心的课堂授课传统模式彻底地转向以学生为中心的新型自主学习模式。教师应通过充分利用多媒体、网络资源,改善成人学习者的学习环境,培养他们利用网络自主学习英语的意识和动机,加强他们对英语学习的训练,逐步让他们养成网络自主学习英语的习惯。

  14. When Is an English Language Learner Not an English Language Learner? Exploring Individual Differences in Developmental Language and Literacy Acquisition for At-Risk Learners: A Latent Transition Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guzman-Orth, Danielle Alicia

    2012-01-01

    Empirical evidence suggests oral language proficiency is correlated with literacy outcomes; however, the relationship between oral language proficiency and literacy outcomes for English Language Learners is highly variable. As a result, the field lacks critical direction to identify children who are English Language Learners experiencing general…

  15. Why American curriculum research could enrich Swiss curriculum stud-ies

    OpenAIRE

    Brühwiler Ingrid

    2016-01-01

    Implementing American curriculum research in another country is very problematic and frequently undesired because curriculum studies are complex as there are differences in terms history research approaches and political and social contexts. Nevertheless it is worthwhile to consider some North American curriculum theories as the findings lead to an enriching understanding of schools and hence of curricula and society. In this article William Pinar’s method of “currere” is explained to determ...

  16. LANGUAGE LEARNING ACTIVITIES OF DISTANCE EFL LEARNERS IN THE TURKISH OPEN EDUCATION SYSTEM AS THE INDICATOR OF THEIR LEARNER AUTONOMY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dilek ALTUNAY

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available This study investigates the noncompulsory language learning activities performed by a group of distance EFL learners in the Turkish Open Education System. Performance of these activities has been considered as an indicator of their learner autonomy. The data were collected through an online questionnaire and interviews. The study shows that in general learners do not demonstrate autonomous language learning behaviour. They prefer learning English in a relaxed environment particularly by engaging in entertaining activities, and through note-taking. However, they do not have sufficient interaction with their facilitator, other learners or speakers. Although the participants are distance learners, they do not prefer Internet-based activities. Conditions stemming from adulthood, lack of skills necessary to perform an activity, lack of awareness of some activities and learners’ experiences in their previous years of education are some of the reasons for their unautonomous behaviour. The article also includes suggestions for teaching and future research.

  17. Nanomedicine concepts in the general medical curriculum: initiating a discussion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sweeney AE

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Aldrin E Sweeney Center for Teaching & Learning, Ross University School of Medicine, Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica Abstract: Various applications of nanoscale science to the field of medicine have resulted in the ongoing development of the subfield of nanomedicine. Within the past several years, there has been a concurrent proliferation of academic journals, textbooks, and other professional literature addressing fundamental basic science research and seminal clinical developments in nanomedicine. Additionally, there is now broad consensus among medical researchers and practitioners that along with personalized medicine and regenerative medicine, nanomedicine is likely to revolutionize our definitions of what constitutes human disease and its treatment. In light of these developments, incorporation of key nanomedicine concepts into the general medical curriculum ought to be considered. Here, I offer for consideration five key nanomedicine concepts, along with suggestions regarding the manner in which they might be incorporated effectively into the general medical curriculum. Related curricular issues and implications for medical education also are presented. Keywords: medical education, basic science, teaching, learning, assessment, nanoscience curriculum, nanomedicine concepts

  18. Public Health and Preventive Medicine Meet Integrative Health: Applications of Competency Mapping to Curriculum Education at the University of Michigan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wells, Eden V; Benn, Rita K; Warber, Sara L

    2015-11-01

    The University of Michigan School of Public Health Preventive Medicine Residency (UMSPH PMR) Integrative Medicine Program (IMP) was developed to incorporate integrative medicine (IM), public health, and preventive medicine principles into a comprehensive curriculum for preventive medicine residents and faculty. The objectives of this project were to (1) increase the preventive medicine workforce skill sets based in complementary and alternative medicine and IM that would address individual and population health issues; (2) address the increasing demand for evidence-based IM by training physicians to implement cost-effective primary and secondary prevention services and programs; and (3) share lessons learned, curriculum evaluations, and best practices with the larger cohort of funded IM PMR programs. The UMSPH PMR collaborated with University of Michigan IM faculty to incorporate existing IM competencies with those already established for preventive medicine and public health residency training as the first critical step for IMP curriculum integration. Essential teaching strategies incorporated didactic and practicum methods, and made use of seasoned IM faculty, along with newly minted preventive medicine integrative teaching faculty, and PMR resident learners as IM teachers. The major components of the IMP curriculum included resident participation in IMP Orientation Sessions, resident leadership in epidemiology graduate IM seminars, resident rotations in IM month-long clinical practicums, resident participation in interprofessional health system-wide IM clinical case conferences, and PMR faculty enrollment in the renowned Faculty Scholars Program in Integrative Healthcare. This paper describes the novel interdisciplinary collaborations and key curriculum components that resulted in the IMP, as well as evaluation of strengths, weaknesses, and lessons learned. Copyright © 2015 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Are the concepts of andragogy and pedagogy relevant to veterinary undergraduate teaching?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parkinson, Tim J; St George, Alison M

    2003-01-01

    Knowles and colleagues have described teaching methods as being either teacher centered, with dependent learning (pedagogy), or learner centered, with independent learning underpinned by the learners' experience and intrinsic motivation (andragogy). This paper argues that both models can be recognized within veterinary undergraduate programs. Veterinary students enter the program with a high level of intrinsic motivation and are prepared to invest considerably in comprehending the material that is presented to them. While this should result in learners whose behavior fits the assumptions underlying andragogy, information overload, poor communication of the relevance of material, teaching by transmission, and examination by memorization often confine learning to the dependent learning characteristic of pedagogical approaches. Students' experience and practical ability should develop as they progress through the program. Drawing upon experience provides opportunities for both fleshing out and putting in context the declarative knowledge from the didactic components of the curriculum. Where this is achieved (either in the clinical or preclinical curriculum), students' motivation and interest is stimulated, resulting in andragogical responses of enhanced motivation and engagement with the subject. Pedagogy and andragogy can, however, be complementary, rather than antithetical. Students enter a new subject with minimal experience and little knowledge about it, so a pedagogical methodology may be the most efficient way of initiating understanding. However, as understanding develops, an andragogical method becomes more appropriate, progressively developing students' independence of learning. The cycle may repeat itself during the program, with the balance changing along with changes in knowledge, goals, experience, and context.

  20. Implementing learnerships: learner recruitment and selection B ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Implementing learnerships: learner recruitment and selection B lessons learnt from the KwaZulu-Natal pilot projects. ... 2001 in KwaZulu-Natal, with specific reference to the recruitment and selection of learners. ... AJOL African Journals Online.

  1. E-learning for medical education: reflections of learners on patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walsh, Kieran

    2018-01-01

    There is a growing research interest in how healthcare professionals learn online. This paper reports an analysis of reflections that relate to patients from users of an e-learning resource, BMJ Learning. Healthcare professionals who use BMJ Learning are encouraged to reflect on their learning. Over one year, all of the learners' reflections that related to patients were captured by the programme's software and were analysed using thematic analysis. A number of key themes emerged from this analysis: many learners reflected on patients in the context of their disease; many learners reflected on how they had put their learning into action or planned to put their learning into action for the benefit of patients; many learners reflected on how they would pass on what they had learned to patients; learners greatly appreciated patients contributing to the learning. Learners predominantly reflect about patients in the context of their disease. The reflections demonstrate that learners are keen to put their learning into action for the benefit of their patients. Learners' reflections show a keen interest in the patient-centredness of the learning resources.

  2. Reading comprehension and its underlying components in second-language learners: A meta-analysis of studies comparing first- and second-language learners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melby-Lervåg, Monica; Lervåg, Arne

    2014-03-01

    We report a systematic meta-analytic review of studies comparing reading comprehension and its underlying components (language comprehension, decoding, and phonological awareness) in first- and second-language learners. The review included 82 studies, and 576 effect sizes were calculated for reading comprehension and underlying components. Key findings were that, compared to first-language learners, second-language learners display a medium-sized deficit in reading comprehension (pooled effect size d = -0.62), a large deficit in language comprehension (pooled effect size d = -1.12), but only small differences in phonological awareness (pooled effect size d = -0.08) and decoding (pooled effect size d = -0.12). A moderator analysis showed that characteristics related to the type of reading comprehension test reliably explained the variation in the differences in reading comprehension between first- and second-language learners. For language comprehension, studies of samples from low socioeconomic backgrounds and samples where only the first language was used at home generated the largest group differences in favor of first-language learners. Test characteristics and study origin reliably contributed to the variations between the studies of language comprehension. For decoding, Canadian studies showed group differences in favor of second-language learners, whereas the opposite was the case for U.S. studies. Regarding implications, unless specific decoding problems are detected, interventions that aim to ameliorate reading comprehension problems among second-language learners should focus on language comprehension skills.

  3. The 2016 ACCP Pharmacotherapy Didactic Curriculum Toolkit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwinghammer, Terry L; Crannage, Andrew J; Boyce, Eric G; Bradley, Bridget; Christensen, Alyssa; Dunnenberger, Henry M; Fravel, Michelle; Gurgle, Holly; Hammond, Drayton A; Kwon, Jennifer; Slain, Douglas; Wargo, Kurt A

    2016-11-01

    The 2016 American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Educational Affairs Committee was charged with updating and contemporizing ACCP's 2009 Pharmacotherapy Didactic Curriculum Toolkit. The toolkit has been designed to guide schools and colleges of pharmacy in developing, maintaining, and modifying their curricula. The 2016 committee reviewed the recent medical literature and other documents to identify disease states that are responsive to drug therapy. Diseases and content topics were organized by organ system, when feasible, and grouped into tiers as defined by practice competency. Tier 1 topics should be taught in a manner that prepares all students to provide collaborative, patient-centered care upon graduation and licensure. Tier 2 topics are generally taught in the professional curriculum, but students may require additional knowledge or skills after graduation (e.g., residency training) to achieve competency in providing direct patient care. Tier 3 topics may not be taught in the professional curriculum; thus, graduates will be required to obtain the necessary knowledge and skills on their own to provide direct patient care, if required in their practice. The 2016 toolkit contains 276 diseases and content topics, of which 87 (32%) are categorized as tier 1, 133 (48%) as tier 2, and 56 (20%) as tier 3. The large number of tier 1 topics will require schools and colleges to use creative pedagogical strategies to achieve the necessary practice competencies. Almost half of the topics (48%) are tier 2, highlighting the importance of postgraduate residency training or equivalent practice experience to competently care for patients with these disorders. The Pharmacotherapy Didactic Curriculum Toolkit will continue to be updated to provide guidance to faculty at schools and colleges of pharmacy as these academic pharmacy institutions regularly evaluate and modify their curricula to keep abreast of scientific advances and associated practice changes. Access the

  4. Examining the Gaps between Teaching and Learning in the Technology Curriculum within Taiwan's 9-Year Articulated Curriculum Reform from the Perspective of Curriculum Implementation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Kuen-Yi; Chang, Liang-Te; Tsai, Fu-Hsing; Kao, Chia-Pin

    2015-01-01

    Curriculum reform has frequently focused on the curriculum-development stage, overlooking considerations regarding curriculum implementation, which has led to reform failure. In this study, consideration was placed primarily on the curriculum implementation stage. The gaps between teachers' and students' perceptions of content, learning…

  5. A pilot curriculum in international surgery for medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moren, Alexis; Cook, Mackenzie; McClain, Molly; Doberne, Julie; Kiraly, Laszlo; Perkins, Rosina Serene; Kwong, Karen

    2015-01-01

    As medical student interest in global surgical care grows, a comprehensive curriculum is necessary to understand surgical care in resource-limited environments. We developed a surgical elective encompassing a multiyear medical student curriculum, with the goal of improving students' understanding of global surgical care, consisting of a junior seminar and a senior clerkship. This student elective focused on the global burden of surgical disease, ethics of care in low-resource settings, and care of marginalized U.S. Students who participated in the fourth year clerkship at a tertiary center in Northern India completed a reflective essay on their experience. Qualitative analysis was conducted using constant comparison and axial coding to establish a grounded theory. Medical students showed a desire to serve the poor, build collaborative relationships, and integrate international health into their future career. This novel curriculum provides students a clinical and public health basis to understand challenges of surgical care in low-resource environments while laying the groundwork for students with a future career in global health. Copyright © 2015 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Which Dictionary? A Review of the Leading Learners' Dictionaries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nesi, Hilary

    Three major dictionaries designed for learners of English as a second language are reviewed, their elements and approaches compared and evaluated, their usefulness for different learners discussed, and recommendations for future dictionary improvement made. The dictionaries in question are the "Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary," the…

  7. Thematic curriculum approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Šefer Jasmina P.

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Thematic curriculum combines disciplines and media. The process is problem-oriented and the scenario most often follows the logic of exploring or storytelling. Those two approaches to teaching are appropriate because they fit into interdisciplinary and creative open-ended problem solving through play, as insisted upon by thematic curriculum. The matrix, where seven types of abilities intersect with five types of problems according to their degree of openness, defines well the outcomes of teaching. However, it did not prove to be suitable for planning the majority of activities in thematic curriculum, for it follows with difficulty the process of exploring or storytelling i.e. it disrupts the subject matter coherence of thematic curriculum. Therefore, it is suggested that matrix should be used for disciplinary curriculum planning but for that of thematic curriculum only in exclusive cases. The matrix should be used primarily as a framework for evaluating the distribution of various types of abilities and problem situations in teaching. The logic of diverse approaches to teaching reflects itself in the manner of planning and organizing the teaching process. Conceptual, visual-graphic, structural and other aids employed during educational process planning should suit the nature of the approach chosen. On the basis of qualitative investigations of educational process, in the present paper considerations are given to various approaches to teaching development of various drafts for the planning of teaching, and recognition of the logic of storytelling and exploring in thematic curriculum.

  8. TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING THE SUCCESSFUL LEARNER: A Case Study of IGNOU

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sindhu P. NAIR

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The growth of enrolment in the ODL system has been considerable. However, another parameter of significance in the context of Open and Distance learning is the learner success rate. While enrolment rates have been very encouraging in distance education, the pass-out rates haven’t been similar. There is a need to focus on the dynamics involved after a learner enrols himself in an OU and what drives him to stay focussed and complete his academic pursuit successfully or alternatively what holds or slows his academic progress and eventually makes him drop out. The study highlights that there are both institution-based (that is OU-based and learner-centric factors that could facilitate learners to successfully complete their studies. There are both controllable and uncontrollable factors that affect the OU learners’ success rate. This study attempts to capture the learner-centric factors and OU-related factors that have facilitated the learners to successfully complete their study. The paper delves into those key aspects or factors which would have facilitated the passed out learners in successfully completing their programmes in the open system. The findings are of direct interest, both from an institution perspective and that of a distance learner. It provides inputs to the Open and distance learning system, towards formulating appropriate strategies that further facilitate learners to successfully pass out. Also the findings serve as indicators/guide rules for any learner in the open system.

  9. Assessment concessions for learners with impairments

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Erna Kinsey

    Vol 25(3)185–189. Assessment ... We focus on the use of different types of assessment concessions as a basis for the development of .... to facilitate the development of meaning. .... changing the vocabulary in the test to make them more accessible to learners. .... For learners who are not able to produce recognizable words.

  10. Como a diferença passa do centro à margem nos currículos: o exemplo dos PCN How difference moves from the center to the margins: the case of Brazilian national curriculum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth Macedo

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available O texto parte do pressuposto de que os estudos de política curricular centrados no Estado empobrecem a análise por não darem conta da relação entre estrutura e agência. Apoia-se na teoria discursiva de E. Laclau e C. Mouffe para analisar as políticas curriculares como articulações hegemônicas em torno do preenchimento do significante qualidade da educação. Centra-se na análise dos Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais, especialmente os de Ciência e os Temas Transversais, tendo como foco articulações universalistas que buscam minar as demandas da diferença. Considerando que essas articulações podem ser percebidas pela análise dos textos curriculares tais como enunciados, a autora destaca duas estratégias utilizadas nos PCN: a criação de dois componentes curriculares, com a localização das demandas da diferença no menos institucionalizado deles; e as lutas por hegemonia no interior desse componente.This paper assumes that the analysis of the curriculum policy is weakened by a state-centered model that cannot correctly address the relationship between structure and agency. Based on E. Laclau's and C. Mouffe's discursive theory, it analyzes the curriculum policy to show they are hegemonic articulations to fill up the empty signifier "quality of education". It examines the Brazilian National Curriculum, especially the Science and the Transversal Themes components, focusing on how universalistic articulations try to undermine the demands of difference. Considering that such articulations may be spotlighted in the way these curriculum texts were enunciated, it highlights two major strategies used in the National Curriculum: its division into two components, the less institutionalized one containing the demands of difference; and the struggles to control this latter component from within.

  11. Cue generation: How learners flexibly support future retrieval.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tullis, Jonathan G; Benjamin, Aaron S

    2015-08-01

    The successful use of memory requires us to be sensitive to the cues that will be present during retrieval. In many situations, we have some control over the external cues that we will encounter. For instance, learners create shopping lists at home to help remember what items to later buy at the grocery store, and they generate computer file names to help remember the contents of those files. Generating cues in the service of later cognitive goals is a complex task that lies at the intersection of metacognition, communication, and memory. In this series of experiments, we investigated how and how well learners generate external mnemonic cues. Across 5 experiments, learners generated a cue for each target word in a to-be-remembered list and received these cues during a later cued recall test. Learners flexibly generated cues in response to different instructional demands and study list compositions. When generating mnemonic cues, as compared to descriptions of target items, learners produced cues that were more distinct than mere descriptions and consequently elicited greater cued recall performance than those descriptions. When learners were aware of competing targets in the study list, they generated mnemonic cues with smaller cue-to-target associative strength but that were even more distinct. These adaptations led to fewer confusions among competing targets and enhanced cued recall performance. These results provide another example of the metacognitively sophisticated tactics that learners use to effectively support future retrieval.

  12. CurriM : Curriculum mining (Poster)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pechenizkiy, M.; Trcka, N.; De Bra, P.M.E.; Toledo, P.

    2012-01-01

    Curriculum mining includes three main kinds of tasks: (i) actual curriculum model discovery, i.e. constructing complete and compact academic curriculum models that are able to reproduce the observed behavior of students, (ii) curriculum model conformance checking, i.e. checking whether the observed

  13. Implementing a robotics curriculum at an academic general surgery training program: our initial experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winder, Joshua S; Juza, Ryan M; Sasaki, Jennifer; Rogers, Ann M; Pauli, Eric M; Haluck, Randy S; Estes, Stephanie J; Lyn-Sue, Jerome R

    2016-09-01

    The robotic surgical platform is being utilized by a growing number of hospitals across the country, including academic medical centers. Training programs are tasked with teaching their residents how to utilize this technology. To this end, we have developed and implemented a robotic surgical curriculum, and share our initial experience here. Our curriculum was implemented for all General Surgical residents for the academic year 2014-2015. The curriculum consisted of online training, readings, bedside training, console simulation, participating in ten cases as bedside first assistant, and operating at the console. 20 surgical residents were included. Residents were provided the curriculum and notified the department upon completion. Bedside assistance and operative console training were completed in the operating room through a mix of biliary, foregut, and colorectal cases. During the fiscal years of 2014 and 2015, there were 164 and 263 robot-assisted surgeries performed within the General Surgery Department, respectively. All 20 residents completed the online and bedside instruction portions of the curriculum. Of the 20 residents trained, 13/20 (65 %) sat at the Surgeon console during at least one case. Utilizing this curriculum, we have trained and incorporated residents into robot-assisted cases in an efficient manner. A successful curriculum must be based on didactic learning, reading, bedside training, simulation, and training in the operating room. Each program must examine their caseload and resident class to ensure proper exposure to this platform.

  14. International Curriculums.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neal, Larry L.

    This workshop presentation on international curriculums in the field of parks, recreation, leisure, cultural services, and travel/tourism comments that the literature is replete with articles addressing what the field is about, but not about curriculum issues, models, and structure. It reports an international survey of 12 college educators…

  15. Language diversity in the mathematics classroom: does a learner ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In this study, the researchers developed an 'aid' that would assist learners to relate mathematics terms and concepts in English with terms in their own languages. The study determined whether a visual multilingual learner companion brought change in learners' performance in mathematics. Also what the educators' views ...

  16. Assessing the development & implementation of a student-centered, "flipped" secondary physics curriculum in which IO-lab digital sensors are issued to students on a 1-to-1 basis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cunnings, Christopher P.

    This teacher-driven, action research dissertation study chronicles the development and implementation of a transformative, two-pronged, student-centered secondary physics education curriculum. From an instructional perspective, the curriculum was situated in the "flipped classroom" teaching approach, which minimizes in-class lecturing and instead predicates classroom learning on collaborative, hands-on, and activity-based lessons. Additionally, all students were issued IO-Lab digital sensors--learning tools developed by professors at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign capable of collecting a vast array of real-time physical data-- on a 1-to-1, 24/7 basis for both in-class and at-home use. In-class, students participated in predominantly activity-based learning, with a sizeable portion of in-class activities incorporating IO-Labs for experimental data collection. Outside of class, students designed real-world research projects using their IO-Labs to study the physics underlying their everyday experiences, and all projects were video recorded, uploaded to YouTube, and then watched in-class to simulate a "mock science conference" in which students provided constructive feedback to each other on their experimental methods and results. The synergistic blending of a) flipped physics instruction, and b) perpetual access to state-of-the-art laboratory equipment, the two prongs forming the basis of this research study, inspired the curriculum title "Flipped IO-Lab," or "F-IO" curriculum. This dissertation study will provide a comprehensive assessment of the benefits and challenges that emerged while designing and implementing the F-IO curriculum from a practitioner's perspective. The assessment of the F-IO curriculum came about through a mixed-methods research methodology during kinematics and dynamics instruction. Specifically, this study includes "Force Concept Inventory" (FCI) pretest/posttest analysis to gauge changes in students' conceptual understanding of

  17. Engaging Stakeholders in Curriculum Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wood, Jo Nell

    2010-01-01

    This article investigates the importance of parent and community engagement in curriculum development, along with curriculum leadership, engaging stakeholders, and the importance of curriculum. Parent and community member engagement is examined in light of curriculum committee participation as reported by Missouri superintendents. Survey responses…

  18. Dynamics of learner affective development in early FLL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jelena Mihaljević Djigunović

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Affective learner factors were first considered as a cause of success in language learning. This was followed by a change in approach and recently authors (e.g., Edelenbos, Johnstone, & Kubanek, 2006 have considered them an important outcome, especially in early foreign language learning (FLL. Current research into affective learner factors in early FLL tries to catch the developmental aspects too, and studies are emerging that take a contextual view as well. This paper describes a study on affective characteristics of young FL learners that combines the developmental and contextual perspectives. Using the case study methodology the author analyses the affective profiles of three young learners of English as a foreign language who were followed for 4 years. The analyses are done taking into account their immediate language learning environment, home support, out-of-school exposure to English and language achievement. The findings suggest that affective learner factors contribute to the dynamic complexity of early FLL.

  19. Peer-assisted learning--beyond teaching: How can medical students contribute to the undergraduate curriculum?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furmedge, Daniel S; Iwata, Kazuya; Gill, Deborah

    2014-09-01

    Peer-assisted learning (PAL) has become increasingly popular over recent years with many medical schools now formally incorporating peer-teaching programs into the curriculum. PAL has a sound evidence base with benefit to both peer-teacher and peer-learner. Aside from in teaching delivery, empowering students to develop education in its broadest sense has been much less extensively documented. Five case studies with supportive evaluation evidence illustrate the success of a broad range of peer-led projects in the undergraduate medical curriculum, particularly where these have been embedded into formal teaching practices. These case studies identify five domains of teaching and support of learning where PAL works well: teaching and learning, resource development, peer-assessment, education research and evaluation and mentoring and support. Each case offers ways of engaging students in each domain. Medical students can contribute significantly to the design and delivery of the undergraduate medical program above and beyond the simple delivery of peer-assisted "teaching". In particular, they are in a prime position to develop resources and conduct research and evaluation within the program. Their participation in all stages enables them to feel involved in course development and education of their peers and ultimately leads to an increase in student satisfaction.

  20. Learner Analysis Framework for Globalized E-Learning: A Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mamta Saxena

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available The shift to technology-mediated modes of instructional delivery and increased global connectivity has led to a rise in globalized e-learning programs. Educational institutions face multiple challenges as they seek to design effective, engaging, and culturally competent instruction for an increasingly diverse learner population. The purpose of this study was to explore strategies for expanding learner analysis within the instructional design process to better address cultural influences on learning. A case study approach leveraged the experience of practicing instructional designers to build a framework for culturally competent learner analysis.The study discussed the related challenges and recommended strategies to improve the effectiveness of cross-cultural learner analysis. Based on the findings, a framework for conducting cross-cultural learner analysis to guide the cultural analysis of diverse learners was proposed. The study identified the most critical factors in improving cross-cultural learner analysis as the judicious use of existing research on cross-cultural theories and joint deliberation on the part of all the participants from the management to the learners. Several strategies for guiding and improving the cultural inquiry process were summarized. Barriers and solutions for the requirements are also discussed.